After a brilliant World Cup, the winger has become even more important for Sarina Wiegman, and her form with Gareth Taylor's side could be defining
For a while on Saturday, it looked like Dan Turner’s incredible volley, a Goal-of-the-Season contender, was going to ruin Manchester City’s day. The Aston Villa defender had stunned the home support when she gave the visitors the lead after seven minutes, and then she frustrated them as the Villans tried to hang on for a result that would’ve taken them five points clear of the drop zone – and left City six points off the pace at the other end of the Women’s Super League table. But this was all before Lauren Hemp had her say.
Cometh the hour, cometh the woman: with 61 minutes on the clock, Hemp popped up at the back post to head home City’s equaliser. Four minutes later, she was at it again, lurking in the same area to stretch and direct Alex Greenwood’s looping header into the back of the net. “Both tap-ins really,” she said with a laugh afterwards, to the amusement of the panel.
Neither goal will compete with Turner’s when the end-of-season awards are handed out, that’s for sure, but their importance was bigger, and the way Hemp got them was significant, too.
For a long time, the 23-year-old has been an out-and-out winger – and one of the best around, at that. But she’s evolving. After being chosen by England boss Sarina Wiegman to lead the Lionesses’ line in their two must-win December fixtures, at the expense of first-choice No.9 Alessia Russo, it’s clear that Hemp has become so much more than a player that just torments full-backs.
In 2023, she has developed into a genuine match-winning forward, and despite several setbacks already as we approach the winter break, she is helping to keep Man City’s WSL title hopes alive, too.
GettyMore than a winger
Hemp’s game has, of course, developed and improved constantly since she first broke through as a 16-year-old at Bristol City, but this year has arguably seen the greatest transformation to date. In her last 15 games, the Man City star has scored nine goals and provided six assists. Those are incredible numbers.
“I feel like last season, I had so many more chances that I just didn't put away, maybe because I was snatching at it or trying to force something that wasn't there,” she told at the weekend. “But I feel like nowadays, I'm probably having fewer shots and more on target.”
That checks out. Per 90 minutes, Hemp’s number of shots this season, compared to last, is down, but her shots on target is up significantly, from 1.28 to 1.94. Those are becoming goals more often, too, with her shot conversion rate jumping from 10.8 percent to 21.7.
That’s nothing to do with a change in position at City, either. The 23-year-old is still a fixture on the left wing, it’s just that, as was abundantly clear on Saturday, she is sniffing out those goal-scoring opportunities a lot more and developing poaching instincts that weren’t there previously.
AdvertisementGettyA year to remember
What has provoked such change? Well, this year’s World Cup may have been a turning point. In England’s third game in Australia, Wiegman opted to change formation to a 3-5-2. While some might’ve thought Hemp would be well-suited to the left wing-back role, such is her energy and commitment to her defensive duties, the City star was deployed in that front two alongside Russo – and it worked brilliantly.
In the new position, Hemp scored twice against Colombia in the quarter-finals and was on target in the last four, too, as England broke the hearts of co-hosts Australia to reach a first-ever Women's World Cup final. She was decisive and, as a result, certainly one of the stars of the tournament.
Again, Hemp’s role at club level hasn’t changed, but perhaps the summer Down Under has made her realise that she can be even more of a goal-scoring threat than before.
GettyPlenty to offer
With her ability as a winger and her developing knack for scoring goals, as well as her grit and determination that make her an asset defensively, it’s no surprise that Hemp has become a go-to for England as much as she has been for Man City over the last five years.
During the December international break, that was clearer than ever. The Lionesses needed to beat the Netherlands, ideally by two goals, to keep their Women’s Nations League finals hopes – and, in turn, Great Britain’s Olympic dream – alive. After doing that, they needed to thrash Scotland – in the end, a 7-0 result was needed – to top their group and go through to the next stage. Who did Wiegman choose to lead the line for both games? Hemp.
It was a surprise given Russo has been England’s first-choice No.9 ever since Ellen White’s retirement in the aftermath of the European Championships in 2022. But, as well as highlighting a need to figure out how best to use the Arsenal star, the decision underlined Wiegman’s faith in Hemp, who she has played in the central role with relative success on several occasions now.
It wasn’t the easiest international break for the forward, though she did find the back of the net against the Netherlands, as she would have been ruing a couple of shock misses in Glasgow as England fell one goal short of the result needed to progress to the Nations League finals.
GettyA star in Manchester
However, if those missed chances had been playing on her mind, Hemp hardly showed it at the weekend as she kept up her tremendous form with Man City. She now has five goals and two assists from her last five outings for club and country, a strike in the Manchester Derby triumph at Old Trafford among them.
“We all know what a talent she is, but I think in the last half a dozen games, I've even seen her go to new levels – new, new levels – in everything that she does,” City head coach Gareth Taylor told on Saturday. “She is just a constant thorn in the side of the opposition. Whether she's successful or not, it never deters her in her confidence.”
That form for her club will be the focus now, too, as England duties go on the back burner until February’s friendlies. It’s clear that Hemp massively enjoys her football with Man City, something the club will hope plays a part in her renewing a contract that expires at the end of the current season, and her determination to achieve great things in the north-west is evident. "We’re not just here to hover," she said on Saturday. "We’re here to win the league!”