Kerstin Casparij was named player of the match for Manchester City.

"We are top of the league," was the celebratory chant booming out of one corner of Old Trafford at the end of the Women's Super League's Manchester derby. But it was not Manchester United's day; it was Manchester City, on the brink of a first league title in 10 years, who were in party mood.

Kerstin Casparij kissed and clutched the City badge as she ran to the away end after scoring City's third goal in a commanding 3-0 win, while Alex Greenwood was enthusiastically applauded at every second-half corner she took in front of the travelling fans.

The returning Japanese stars in City's team - fresh from winning the Women's Asian Cup - were hailed one by one after full-time as the celebrations continued long after the final whistle had been blown. City did not just win at Old Trafford; they humiliated Manchester United and enjoyed every minute of it. And with one hand on the WSL trophy, who can blame them?

Two more wins from their remaining three matches will guarantee them the title unless their rivals drop points, allowing them to claim the crown early. "The weather wasn't helping," manager Andree Jeglertz joked as he began his news conference away from the swirling wind and rain. But having witnessed what he described as "one of the best" first halves of football from his side, which saw them lead 2-0 at the break, he admitted he enjoyed himself.

He said it was "amazing to watch and be a part of" a game where his players executed the game plan with "confidence and big belief". "Definitely, I enjoyed that," Jeglertz added. "It wasn't relaxing, because it never is for a coach, but I felt we had control of the game. The players were enjoying finding solutions to a lot of things. They created chances. It was a fantastic game."

Manchester City have been the champions elect for what feels like the whole of 2026, and it has been a slow countdown to their crowning. A run of 13 unbeaten matches between September and February catapulted them into pole position, and they have scored in 17 of their 19 WSL games. Top-scorer Khadija Shaw has delivered in abundance, and while she did not find the net at Old Trafford, Vivianne Miedema scored twice to put City in control at half time. Casparij's second-half goal was just reward for a player who has consistently been a standout performer throughout the campaign.

Add in the quality of England winger Lauren Hemp, Japan's midfield maestro Yui Hasegawa, and January signing Sam Coffey, City boast a terrifying line-up.

United, in second place before kick-off, were written off by most given the derby fell in the mix of a gruelling schedule - they head to Munich for Wednesday's second leg of their Women's Champions League quarter-final tie trailing after last week's 3-2 defeat - with fatigue starting to take its toll on their thin squad. That ended up being the case on Saturday, but few could have predicted the gap between the two sides being as big as it was. There was no contest. United had no answers.

"I really believe in my group of players, that no matter what team we play. If we play with this confidence, then many teams will struggle against us," said Jeglertz. "Things can still happen in the three games left, and we need to keep performing, but I can't see that pressure being too much because we are so open with it. The players have been very good at handling it. Winning a game is one thing, but winning in the way we win – by making a statement – of course, that brings confidence."

City's performances have proven they are this season's best. Many factors have contributed to that, including Jeglertz's tactical adaptations, City's squad depth, and they have not had to contend with Champions League football. But having come close to winning the WSL on several occasions and not getting over the line - most notably on goal difference in 2023-24 - the ease with which they have blocked out the noise this time around and continued to rack up the points has been hugely impressive.

If anything, it appears the pressure of winning the title has spurred them on. As the noise has grown, so too has City's lead at the top of the table. Jeglertz said it "shouldn't be like that" but City have embraced it.

"They are believing so much in what we are doing and the capacity of each teammate, that it gives them belief in the game that we will find a way to win," added Jeglertz. "We talk about how good we are as coaches, but we have shown now that when we are at our highest level, few teams are on that same level. We all have a little bit of pressure on the group. We have talked about it, and it's natural. But we can still do the things we're good at, and if you can handle that, and also feel you have great players around you, it's easier to deal with. That's what we've done all the time. Of course, it means something to be able to handle that. To still perform shows something about the group."

Ben Haines, Ellen White, and Jen Beattie are back for another season of the Women's Football Weekly podcast. New episodes drop every Tuesday on BBC Sounds, plus find interviews and extra content from the Women's Super League and beyond on the Women's Football Weekly feed.

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