Lauren Hemp has added another landmark to an already remarkable Manchester City career. The Lioness became only the seventh player in Women’s Super League history to reach 100 goal involvements at the weekend, after providing an assist and scoring as City beat Aston Villa 4-1. It was a fitting way to reach the milestone. Hemp’s 100 WSL contributions are made up of 52 goals and 48 assists, highlighting the different ways she can influence a game. She can create chances, beat defenders, deliver the final pass, or finish the move herself.
And at just 26, it is another reminder of how much Hemp has already achieved. The milestone came just a week after she made her 200th appearance for Manchester City, becoming only the fourth player in the club’s history to reach that landmark. From joining City as a teenager in 2018 to becoming one of England’s most important attacking players, Hemp has developed into a player whose influence can be seen in both the numbers and the moments that make supporters stand up from their seats.
A milestone performance:
Manchester City travelled to Aston Villa knowing that their title rivals had already dropped points. After Chelsea were held to a 1-1 draw by Villa the previous weekend, Arsenal then drew with promoted Crystal Palace, giving City an opportunity to strengthen their position at the top of the table. They took it.
The champions produced a dominant performance, although Villa briefly threatened to make things uncomfortable after Amalie Vangsgaard pulled a goal back before half-time.
Lauren Hemp was one of City’s brightest players throughout. She repeatedly looked to take on defenders, using her pace and dribbling ability to create space and launch attacks. She came close to scoring in the second half, only for her effort to be saved from close range.
She would not get her name on the scoresheet, but she still played a decisive role in the victory. Her assist for Khadija “Bunny” Shaw’s goal was the contribution that took her to 100 WSL goal involvements.
City then added a fourth in stoppage time when Hemp’s effort was deflected into the net by Mathilde Harviken. The goal was subsequently credited as an own goal, rather than to Hemp, as City completed an emphatic 4-1 victory. The assist was Hemp’s 48th in the WSL, taking her to 100 goal involvements alongside her 52 goals.
A player who makes things happen:
That ability to influence a match in different ways is what has made Lauren Hemp such an important player for Manchester City. She can stretch a defence with her pace, beat an opponent one-on-one, deliver from wide areas or move into dangerous positions herself. When she receives the ball, something tends to happen.
City manager Andree Jeglertz summed it up after Hemp reached another major milestone earlier this month.
“Just give her the ball and something happens!” he said.
It is a simple description, but an appropriate one. Hemp has the ability to turn a routine passage of possession into an attacking opportunity. Against Aston Villa, she was repeatedly involved in City’s most dangerous moments, winning duels and carrying the ball into the final third. Her contribution also fits neatly into the way City want to play.
With Bunny Shaw providing a focal point through the middle and players such as Mary Fowler offering creativity, Hemp gives City another outlet capable of changing the game from wide areas. That combination has helped City make a perfect start to the defence of their WSL title and Hemp is once again at the centre of it.
200 appearances for City:
The 100 WSL goal-involvement milestone came just one week after another significant achievement. On 6th September, Lauren Hemp made her 200th appearance for Manchester City as they began their title defence against newly promoted Birmingham City. She marked the occasion with a Player of the Match performance as City won 3-1. Hemp became only the fourth player in the club’s history to make 200 appearances, following Steph Houghton, Keira Walsh and Demi Stokes.
It is an extraordinary landmark for a player who joined City as a teenager. Since arriving from Bristol City in 2018, Hemp has grown from a highly rated prospect into one of the most established forwards in European women’s football. She has now scored 74 goals in her 200 appearances for City and has been a crucial part of a period in which the club has collected six major trophies. Her time in Manchester has also coincided with the rapid growth of women’s football in England. Hemp has grown alongside the game.
From teenage prospect to one of the best:
When Lauren Hemp arrived at City, she was still a teenager with enormous potential. Eight years later, she is an established England international and one of the first names considered for the Lionesses’ attack. Her club career has developed alongside her international one.
Hemp has become a key part of Sarina Wiegman’s England side and has helped the Lionesses win back-to-back European Championships. That success has added another dimension to her career. For City, she is an important attacking player who has been part of a trophy-winning side. For England, she has become part of a generation that has helped transform the expectations surrounding the women’s national team.
And individually, the recognition has followed. Hemp has won the PFA Young Player of the Year award a record four times, while she has also been named in the PFA Team of the Year three times. In 2024, she was awarded an MBE for services to football. Yet for all the individual recognition, Hemp’s career has remained closely tied to Manchester City. She signed a new three-year contract with the club in 2024, reaffirming her commitment to the side where she has spent the majority of her professional career.
She already has a legacy:
Lauren Hemp’s longevity at City is particularly impressive given how much of her career is still ahead of her. At 26, she has already made 200 appearances, reached 100 WSL goal involvements and helped City win six major trophies. Her manager, Andree Jeglertz, believes that body of work means she has already established a legacy at the club. But what stands out about Hemp is not just what she has achieved, but the enjoyment she continues to bring to her football.
Jeglertz has highlighted her enthusiasm in training and matches, as well as her constant desire to have a ball at her feet. That enjoyment has remained a defining part of Hemp’s development. Despite the milestones, trophies and growing status within the game, she continues to play with the same energy and freedom that has characterised her career and that is perhaps what makes her legacy particularly significant. Hemp’s career is already substantial enough to be looked back upon, yet she is nowhere near the end of it.
The numbers behind her:
The statistics help explain why Lauren Hemp has become so important. She has created more chances from open play than any other player in WSL history and sits second in the league’s all-time assist charts. Only Shaw has scored more Manchester City goals in the professional era and now Hemp has joined the select group of players with 100 WSL goal involvements. But perhaps the most telling statistic is the balance between those goals and assists.
52 goals. 48 assists. 100 contributions.
It tells the story of a forward who does not need to score to decide a match. Sometimes she is the player who finishes the move. Sometimes she is the player who starts it. Sometimes she is the one who carries the ball past two defenders and creates the space for someone else. That unpredictability is a major part of her appeal.
What comes next?
For Lauren Hemp, these milestones are another step in a career that still has plenty of room to grow. Manchester City are defending their WSL title, and Hemp has already started the campaign in influential form, earning Player of the Match in each of her first two league appearances.
She has already won domestic trophies, European titles, individual awards and international honours. She has already established herself as one of the most productive players in WSL history, but she is not done yet. At 26, there is still so much more to come from Hemp and that is what makes the next chapter of her career so exciting.
