At 24 years and 60 days, Lauren Hemp is the youngest player to score 50 WSL goals
Manchester City picked up a comfortable Women's Super League victory against West Ham as Jill Roord started her first match since recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Netherlands midfielder Roord, 27, the club's record signing, came off the bench in last week's 1-0 victory over Brighton but played 45 minutes from the start at Joie Stadium this time around.
She contributed to a routine win for City despite manager Gareth Taylor leaving several key players out of the starting XI.
With a European tie against Barcelona to come on Wednesday, Taylor handed a first start in 256 days for Roord, who looked sharp on her full return.
She linked up well with England international Lauren Hemp, who capped off another impressive display with a goal in the first half.
Hemp should have scored more but fired over from close range shortly after half-time and was later denied by two stunning saves from goalkeeper Kinga Szemik.
The 24-year-old, who is nominated for this year's Ballon d'Or award, became the youngest player in Women's Super League history to reach 50 goals and it put City in the driving seat before Mary Fowler doubled their lead in the second half.
West Ham are still seeking their first victory of the WSL season, while this was a second successive win at home for City.
Hemp impresses as Shaw rested
With all eyes on their Women's Champions League group-stage campaign, it was no surprise to see top-scorer Khadija Shaw and summer signings Vivianne Miedema and Aoba Fujino left out of City's starting XI.
But Hemp, who will undoubtedly be a key player for them in Europe this season, kept her place in the side and was a constant threat against a more organised West Ham defence.
She was the bright spark in a relatively underwhelming first-half performance from City, reacting quickest to Fowler's scrambled pass which fell kindly for Hemp in West Ham's box early on.
The Hammers, who have now lost 11 of their last 12 WSL matches against City, were always going to be up against it but did pose a threat on a few occasions in the first half, particularly down the right-hand side through Anouk Denton.
They had a goal ruled out by Viviane Asseyi for offside within the opening minutes which manager Rehanne Skinner believes was an incorrect decision.
"I’m disappointed. Whether that changes the outcome of the game, I don’t know. It definitely has an impact on confidence and the dynamic," she said.
"I haven’t spoken to the referee about it. It’s one to follow up with after the game. She’s two yards onside. These are the things that have to be looked at because goals change games."
City's sloppy start went unpunished though and they went up another gear in the second half with Hemp's effort being tipped on to the bar by Szemik, before Leila Ouahabi fired another shot against the woodwork.
When Taylor eventually introduced star players Shaw, Miedema and Fujino after 70 minutes, they did not take long to make an impact, with Jamaica international Shaw teeing up Fowler at the back post for her to nod in City's second goal of the match.
That was the ultimate blow for West Ham, who had tired and were starting to crumble under City's relentless attacking threat.
Skinner's side travel to Everton next, while City have a blockbuster tie with defending European champions Barcelona to navigate, before facing Liverpool at Anfield in their next WSL match.
Taylor pleased with 'upgraded' Roord
Jill Roord signed from Wolfsburg for a club record fee in excess of £300,000 in July
Roord's full return was another boost for Taylor with England international Jess Park left out of the squad as a precaution due to discomfort in her foot.
Taylor said Roord was "unlucky" not to have got on the scoresheet in the first half and described her as "an upgraded version" from before her injury.
"She looks fitter, stronger, healthier and really engaged in the game. She is really enjoying this moment," said Taylor.
"But what we have to manage is our expectations of her. I thought she played well but what’s normal practise with ACL injuries, is that it’s not straight away that you come back in and hit the ground running.
"It’s really hard to expect that from players. It takes time. If its disjointed this season, that’s to be expected. But in saying that, I wouldn’t be surprised if Jill did [come back and excel]."
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