And the England international has now committed her future to the Club until the summer of 2027, signing a three-year extension on her current deal.
Still just 23 years old, the four-time PFA Young Player of the Year has already made over 150 appearances for City, while only Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw and Georgia Stanway can better her tally of 64 goals.
Hemp’s time at the Joie Stadium has been characterised by a season-on-season progression, seeing her become a leading light for both Club and country.
Below is a short breakdown on how each campaign has defined Hemp’s career in its own unique way.
2018/19: Double delight
Hemp joined the Club from fellow WSL side Bristol City in May 2018 with an exciting reputation.
Named PFA Young Player of the Year a few weeks prior, the winger joined a side hungry for success after a season of near misses on both a domestic and European setting.
Making her debut in a 0-0 away draw with reigning WSL champions Chelsea in September 2018, the winger would get on the scoresheet for the first time three months later, as City beat Aston Villa 4-0 in the Continental Cup group stages.
Nick Cushing’s side would go on to win the competition that year thanks to a penalty victory over Arsenal at Bramall Lane.
Hemp would actually see her spot kick saved in the shootout, but Karen Bardsley’s heroics ensured City claimed the trophy for a third time in five years.
But the winger, coming on from the bench, would more than make her mark in May 2019 as City cruised past West Ham United in the FA Cup final.
In her first appearance at Wembley, the England international would round off the scoring in a 3-0 victory, beating Hammers stopper Anna Moorhouse to an aerial ball from Jen Beattie.
It was the perfect way to round off what had been an impressive debut season in blue.
2019/20: Growing Impact
Still just 19, Hemp’s influence at City was continuing to grow in what would be Nick Cushing’s final season at the helm.
That was recognised on an international front, when the winger received her first senior England cap in October 2019, coming on as a late substitute in a 1-0 friendly win over Portugal.
For City, the winger was beginning to step up in the big moments – a trend which has continued throughout her time at the Club.
It was Hemp’s second half header, for example, which would prove the winner in a hard-fought 2-1 triumph over Arsenal in February 2020.
In Cushing’s final match as City boss, the winger rose highest to loop Keira Walsh’s searching cross in off the crossbar, maintaining our push for the WSL title in the process.
One month later, in what would prove our final match before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hemp once again struck in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Chelsea.
Stealing in ahead of Maren Mjelde to a Caroline Weir pass, the winger rescued a deserved point for the hosts at the Joie Stadium.
City would ultimately miss out on the title on points per game, but with Hemp continuing to deliver, and once again claiming the PFA Young Player of the Year award, the future was bright.
2020/21: Established influence
Hemp’s 2020/21 campaign finished with a bang, but it unfortunately began with an injury in the Community Shield final against Chelsea.
The winger limped off with a hamstring injury in Gareth Taylor’s first competitive fixture as City boss, returning just before the new year.
With the England international back in the team, we embarked on a phenomenal run of form, winning 12 successive WSL matches in a row in pursuit of the title.
Hemp was at the centre of that success, grabbing eight goals in nine games including a stunning strike against Goteborg in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
As part of that impressive sequence, the winger provided one of the most memorable assists of her young career to date in a dramatic late victory over Reading at the Joie Stadium.
With the game goalless heading into the 87th minute, our number 11 provided the spark we needed to claim all three points with a spectacular solo run, slaloming through several Royals challenges before squaring for Chloe Kelly, who dispatched from close-range.
It was a piece of individual brilliance when City needed it the most, and one of many examples as to why the winger was included in the PFA WSL Team of the Year for the first time.
2021/22: Player of the Year
With 21 goals and ten assists in 37 appearances, Hemp enjoyed her best season in front of goal in 2021/22.
She was rewarded with the Club’s Player of the Year award, as City recovered from a difficult start to the season, compounded by an unprecedented injury crisis, to win the Continental Cup and finish as FA Cup runners up.
Once again, Hemp left her mark in both of those finals against Chelsea.
In the Conti Cup, the winger’s injection of pace in behind the Londoners’ defence forced the opening for Ellen White to hand City the lead at Plough Lane, with her effort across goal parried into the path of the forward.
A few months later, and Lauren’s spectacular curling strike handed City a lifeline at Wembley in the FA Cup final.
Cutting inside and away from the attentions of Millie Bright, Hemp’s moment of world class quality once again proved the catalyst for a gutsy display from Gareth Taylor’s side, but ultimately wasn’t enough to see us over the line in a 3-2 loss.
Still, another inclusion in the PFA WSL Team of the Year plus a starring role in England’s march to the Euro 2022 title that summer were just rewards for another impressive campaign from the youngster.
2022/23: Post-Euros impact
A summer of change, an early exit from the Champions League and a tough start to the WSL campaign, City needed players to step up to the occasion.
Hemp was one of those, scoring in a 4-0 win over Leicester City in our first home match of the season as the Club embarked on a 16-match unbeaten run between October and February.
Two statement wins against Arsenal and Chelsea demonstrated the direction that this exciting young squad were moving in, and Hemp was integral in both.
Against the Gunners, the winger was on hand to tap home Kelly’s inviting cross to open the scoring inside just four minutes.
City had been edged out in extra time at Meadow Park just three days prior in the Continental Cup semi-finals but responded in style with a 2-1 victory.
And both Gareth Taylor’s side and Hemp repeated the trick one month later against Chelsea, with the winger’s stunning half-volley helping record a memorable 2-0 win at the Joie Stadium.
City would fall just short of the top three, but an exquisite solo effort from the England international on the final day against Everton, in which she carried the ball from the halfway line and found the top corner, showed that both she and the Club meant business in 2023/24.
2023/24: Stepping up
As the final few weeks of the WSL season approach, City find ourselves in an excellent position, neck and neck with Chelsea in pursuit of the title.
Hemp has been one of the driving forces behind that march up the table.
The winger grabbed the Club’s first goal of the season with another impressive curling effort against West Ham, similar in style to the goal which helped us down Manchester United at Old Trafford in November 2023.
But it’s against Aston Villa and Leicester City, two matches which will perhaps be outshone by some of the more glamorous results and performances this season, that truly demonstrate Hemp’s importance this season.
In both fixtures at the Joie Stadium, Gareth Taylor’s side were in need of inspiration to break down an organised, well-drilled opponent.
And on both occasions it was Hemp who provided the spark.
Against the Villans, the winger grabbed a late double to turn the game on its head en route to a 2-1 triumph while, against the Foxes, a remarkable scorpion kick goal helped drag City over the line.
The latter of those goals gained some deserved glowing praise from Gareth Taylor.
“It’s one of the best goals I’ve seen. The way she’s been able to manoeuvre that is incredible.
“It’s a magical goal. Honestly, when I saw it after, I was like ‘wow’. That’s a world class goal.”
Hemp has consistently stepped up when it’s mattered for City, not just this season but throughout her time at the Club.
She’s sure to do exactly the same for years to come.
