Gareth Taylor hailed Chloe Kelly’s strength of character as she returned from long-term injury to help Manchester City ease to a 2-0 win over West Ham.
Goals in both halves from Georgia Stanway and Bunny Shaw saw City seal a fifth successive victory in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League. An assured performance saw Taylor’s side pull level on points with city rivals United, who sit third, in the race for a place in the Champions League.
“It was an important win and a clean sheet,” said Taylor. “West Ham have only lost twice here all season so it’s a really important win for us at this stage.
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“Performance-wise, I think we could have been three or four up in the first 25 minutes, so that was a frustration. We had problems with our build-up play today, had to go more direct at times, but we had firepower and pace at the top end of the pitch, which will be a problem for anyone.”
The game marked midfielder Kelly’s return to the game after she suffered a sickening ACL injury last May against Birmingham City. The 23-year-old missed the Olympics as a result but her return to the fold could see her launch a late bid for England selection at their home Euros.
On Kelly’s return, Taylor said: “It’s been a long time, and it’s great. You always worry about those situations, and how a player’s feeling going into it.
“Sometimes you can get too excited, but there will have been some anxiety there for Chloe, having been out so long. She’s been managed well by the club. She’s great to work with in her rehab. It’s great to have her back.”
Next up for Taylor and City in a fortnight’s time is another clash with West Ham in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
“We need to go back and analyse to see how we could have been better today,” said Taylor. “It puts a marker down, but it’s a different game. We have to earn it again. It’s important.”
To follow the action and sign up for The FA Player’s live Barclays FA Women’s Super League coverage visit womenscompetitions.thefa.com
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