Lauren Hemp once again showed her brilliance as Manchester City climbed to the top of the Women’s Super League with a dramatic 2-1 win over Aston Villa. Hemp has been vital to City’s superb beginning of the season, and her game against Villa marked the third straight game in which she played the pivotal role in a comeback win.
However, after the great start from Aston Villa- with Gabi Nunes opening the score in the first the City team did not panic, and Hemp’s attacking qualities became more and more visible. After a poor punch by Villa goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo, Hemp reacted well to chip the ball over the keeper and level the scores. A few minutes later, she danced past several defenders with an intoxicating run down the left side, culminating in her laying on Jill Roord for City’s winner.
Meanwhile, former City skipper Steph Houghton also hailed: “That girl, Lauren Hemp, today was a different class. Everything she touches turns to fire.” Another City legend, former goalkeeper Karen Bardsley, shared the same view on how dangerous Hemp was with and without the ball, so she commented: “She’s a constant 1v1 threat.”
City manager Gareth Taylor also praised on Hemp: “She was everywhere today. When she has that mindset of doing everything with and without the ball, she’s such a role model for every player we have.”
Lauren Hemp: The Catalyst for City’s Title Challenge
This display against Aston Villa came after back-to-back influential performances in the previous games for Hemp with City. She had an assist in a 2-1 win against Liverpool and another in a 3-2 Champions League win over St. Pölten, which set her up as the creative heartbeat of the team. Manchester City now sits atop the WSL table, thanks in large part to the tremendous form displayed by Hemp.
Hemp’s consistency is reflected in her number of goals and two assists in just five league matches. More impressively, seven of City’s 13 points this season have come from games in which they trailed. That ability to stage comebacks, with Hemp firmly in the middle of such efforts, also tends to suggest that their ambitions of lifting the WSL trophy for the first time since 2016 are not far-fetched.
As former City star Jill Roord once explained, “She is very easy for me to play with – I just have to pass her the ball, and she does the work .”
From Heartbreak to Hope: Lauren Hemp’s Championship Ambitions
Since signing for Manchester City from Bristol City in 2018, Hemp has lifted the FA Cup and League Cup, yet the WSL title has proved elusive. The City title charge came to a heartbreaking end on the final day last season as Chelsea won the trophy. “It was heartbreaking for us last season when we didn’t manage to win the title. That’s one of our aims this season,” says a reflected Hemp on that disappointment, the burning desire to set things right this time around.
With the friendlies that the Lionesses are about to embark on, Hemp’s stock on the international stage continues to rise. England have friendlies against Germany and South Africa ahead of next summer’s Euros, and in the absence of Lauren James and Beth Mead due to injury, among others, Hemp’s form catapults her into becoming an important cog in the wheel for the Lionesses.
Lauren Hemp Partner: Ellie Butler and Ex Ashley Hodson
Off the pitch, Lauren Hemp’s personal life has also not gone without attention. She is in a relationship with Ellie Butler, who happens to be private and thus tries to stay away from the limelight. They keep their relations relatively low-key; Hemp has not stopped speaking, though, about the support she gets from Butler in balancing her career and life at home.
Before Butler, Lauren Hemp’s partner was the former footballer Ashley Hodson, who used to play for Liverpool in the Women’s Super League. The partners, who have since broken up, had been in a long-term relationship during the formative years of Hemp’s professional career. However, that separation has not slowed her down in accomplishing all her footballing aspirations.
Lauren Hemp Salary & Contract
Lauren Hemp recently extended her contract back in 2024, which will see her stay until 2027 summer with Manchester City. Lauren Hemp salary speaks volumes about her talent in the game. Although it is tough to come up with any amount in most instances, through club salaries and sponsorships – which involve high-profile deals with big brands, it is believed that Hemp takes in a sizeable amount of remunerations. Indeed, Lauren Hemp wages are reportedly in the region of £300,000 to £400,000 per year; she does come out as one of the higher earners in the women’s game, although she is still miles off that of her male peers.
The commercial appeal of Hemp is going through the roof, which is helped in no small measure by her consistency on the pitch and growing influence off it. Now, she looks to guide City onto more silverware; her value, both as a footballer and a brand, continues to rise and rise.
