Manchester City manager Gareth Taylor admitted his side's second half performance blew him away in their comeback win against Chelsea in the Continental Cup final. City trailed 1-0 at the break, but scored four minutes into the second half and were 3-1 up by 70 minutes, a scoreline they preserved to win a morale-boosting final after a testing season.
City quickly saw their Women's Super League title chances derailed with a poor start hampered by a number of key injuries, while Chelsea knocked them out of last season's postponed FA Cup in one of two heavy defeats inflicted on City in quick succession in November. However, since then, players have returned and City have dramatically turned their form around, with this latest win in the final a 12th unbeaten game in their last 13.
And manager Taylor couldn't hide his delight after watching his side produce a fine attacking display in the second half against Chelsea on Sunday to lift their eighth trophy in as many seasons.
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"It was such a contrast for us the second half," he said. "We looked nervous in the first half, the buildup wasnt great and we spoke about belief and faith at half time. I was blown away in the second half the way they attacked the game, technically, tactically. Physically we stepped up a number of levels.
"The half time message was nothing too scientific, more around sticking to what we do and making that better, a little bit about belief. Steph [Houghton, captain] mentioned it a lot this week.
"It's different when you've suffered against Chelsea [in previous meetings]. It gives us more than winning the trophy, it gives confidence for the remainder of the season. Our objectives are clear for what we want to achieve after a difficult start. The belief is huge after this.
"You struggle to put into words what it can do individually and as a team. For us it was making sure we keep outside noise out, be honest with ourselves, and know where we're trying to get to. Know the road can be bumpy. It's a great moment tonight, it reinforces belief and hopefully this is just a start.
"We're here and we want to win titles. It's difficult to win these competitions and many wouldn't have backed us on form against Chelsea. I'd love to watch the second half again, Ii'll watch it on the bus home. I was blown away in every aspect from the back all the way forward. We were revitalised."
Taylor added that City must use this final win to kick on for the rest of the season, with Champions League qualification and an FA Cup up for grabs. After that, he said occasions like this should act as motivation to add more silverware to the collection for this team.
"I've always said I want the WSL title, one isnt enough for this club, it's the true test of a team. It's so hard in a season, especially with so many injuries, but that's the title we really want.
"This competition isn't easy to win, we're trying and we have incredible staff who've dug in this season, trying to push boundaries and push on to the next level. We've won eight trophies in eight years, we want to push that number up.
"This competition was potentially more difficult to win than the FA Cup. I loved winning the FA Cup [in 2020], great for me to announce myself as trying to move the club in the right direction."
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