Jess Park turns Manchester blue! Winners and losers as City's young Lioness and record-breaker Khadija Shaw end United's hopes of a top-three WSL finish

It was all well and good United being at it from the off in the final third, but it doesn't mean much when the defence is all over the shop, and all three City goals were so poor from a defensive standpoint on Saturday.

The first might've featured an offside in the build-up, but that hardly excuses the fact that absolutely no one looked around and decided to pick up Park, with Zelem, who sits in front of that United defence, the biggest culprit for that.

Park's second was a case of Blundell, who made a silly tackle on a yellow that probably should've resulted in a red earlier on, not being goal-side of her player despite checking to see where she was at one point, and the third was Zelem being flat-footed and beaten to the ball by Park, before Maya Le Tissier was easily brushed aside by Shaw.

It was just a calamitous, error-strewn display at the back from the Red Devils, and there was little chance of a result while that was the case.

A few more derby days and Park might mark herself out as a specialist in these games, because after scoring her first WSL goal in the Merseyside derby last season while on loan at Everton, her first goals in the league for City came on Saturday, in this clash of the two Manchester rivals.

Both efforts were wonderful, first-touch finishes, and she added an assist to them, too, when she won the ball back well in midfield and played a great pass to Shaw just after half-time.

Park found game time hard to come by in the first half of this season, but she's thrived since the New Year, after Jill Roord's ACL injury opened up a space in midfield. Given how well the Dutch international had played for City since arriving in the summer, they needed someone to step up and ensure her absence didn't hit the team hard, and Park has done exactly that.

Her performance won't have gone unnoticed by Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman, either, who was in attendance at the Etihad and will have struggled to not be impressed by the 22-year-old's latest star turn.

If there was one dampener for City on a big day, it came in the warm-up, when Laia Aleixandri had to pull out of the team with an injury. The Spaniard has been having a truly fantastic season, with arguably no centre-back in the league performing better.

Alanna Kennedy did well to step in on a rare start and hardly weakened the team, but City will certainly hope Aleixandri is able to play her part in the title run-in, with her and Alex Greenwood having struck up a wonderful partnership in the heart of the WSL's best defence.

It's remarkable to think that when Shaw first arrived at City, she wasn't the first choice No.9, sharing duties with Ellen White. However, since assuming that role following White's retirement in the summer of 2022, the Jamaican has been a relentless goal-machine, and her strike against United on Saturday made her the women's team's all-time top goal-scorer, with an incredible 68 goals in just 82 appearances.

Shaw was a handful for United's defence throughout Saturday's game, and got the goal her performance deserved with a very well-taken finish just after half-time. Amid claims that she isn't a player for the 'big games', this followed up her goal in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford and her huge match-winner at Chelsea last month which put City level on points with the Blues in the title race.

The 27-year-old is one of the best strikers on the planet and City will be delighted that she is theirs for at least another two years as they look to assert themselves as a consistent contender for silverware again.

During the men's international break, there were a lot of eyes on this game, not just with over 40,000 inside the Etihad but with it broadcasted on BBC One in the UK and across the globe on various platforms. It was a shame, then, that the officiating was a big talking point in the first half.

Despite the WSL being one of the most professional leagues in the women's game and an example for many to follow, the officials are still not full-time and sadly, sometimes, that shows.

It was a card and the lack of a card for Blundell that was under the microscope here, with the United full-back harshly booked with 21 minutes on the clock, but then not given a second yellow literally moments later for a clearly cynical foul on Shaw, which City were not even awarded a free-kick for.

The opening goal, too, highlighted the lack of VAR in the WSL, something which so many managers have called for. The technology might have its flaws, but it would've been able to correctly rule out City's deadlock-breaker. If the WSL wants to continue to take steps forward, it needs to help out its officials with this extra support.

Any chance of United chasing Arsenal down for that final European place has certainly gone now. If the Gunners beat Aston Villa on Sunday, as they will be expected to do, the gap will be nine points five games to go. Even now it is still six points, which is quite a cushion. It's a perfect illustration of how far off the 'big three' United have been this year.

However, it offers Arsenal some breathing room after last week's disappointing defeat to Chelsea. They might be out of the title race, but they are at least all-but assured of a place in next season's Champions League qualifying and will hope to perform better in those early rounds this time around, after falling at the first hurdle this campaign.

It was difficult to see Skinner, out of contract this summer, getting a new deal before this game. United have been out of the title race for a while now, they've had little chance of a European spot for several weeks, and they're out of the Conti Cup. They've looked so far off Chelsea, Man City and Arsenal all campaign.

But this incredibly disappointing performance and result, which came after United lost the reverse 3-1 at Old Trafford as well, has surely put that beyond doubt now. It would be a complete shock if the club is not looking for replacements and the right person to take this club forward as it bids to truly make the WSL's 'big three' a 'big four'.