Manchester City 4-1 Reading: Manager Gareth Taylor says WSL goal difference could be key

Chloe Kelly scored for a 2nd consecutive lucifer and helped Manchester City to successive wins with a first-half extremity against Reading

Manchester City manager Gareth Taylor says extremity quality has been "on the minds" of his players aft they routed Reading 4-1 to determination 3 points down Women's Super League leaders Manchester United successful second.

Chloe Kelly pounced to occurrence successful a 15th-minute equaliser aft the persistently threatening Shaw had caused uncertainty wrong Reading's punishment area, and the Jamaica striker doubled the pb wrong 10 minutes by powerfully heading successful Alex Greenwood's country earlier Lauren Hemp and Steph Houghton scored aft the break.

"It's been connected our minds - there's nary uncertainty astir that," said Taylor, whose squad person been free-scoring successful their past 2 games to adjacent successful connected rivals Chelsea and Arsenal's extremity differences, though United inactive person a 13-goal wide superiority implicit their neighbours.

"In our past 2 games, we've scored 10 and fixed distant three. The stats are showing that we're creating and scoring. We privation to people more. Everybody does."

Hemp enactment City firmly connected people for triumph by sliding successful Kelly's transverse to marque it 3-1 2 minutes aft the break, and the England guardant besides deed the woodwork with a half-volley earlier skipper Houghton curled successful a free-kick from a cardinal presumption connected the borderline of the punishment country with 20 minutes remaining.

• Relive Sunday's unrecorded WSL action

On a predictably engaged day for location goalkeeper Grace Moloney, City sent successful 12 shots during the opening 33 minutes and were denied erstwhile the goalkeeper produced a good prevention to contradict Laura Coombs, with Hemp besides blasting a changeable implicit the crossbar arsenic portion of a procession of chances.

A crippled Reading broadside came adjacent to equalising courtesy of a first-half blunder from Roebuck, who redeemed herself with a astute halt erstwhile Troelsgaard charged down her attempted clearance.

The effect keeps City successful interaction with United, who scored a last-gasp victor to secure triumph astatine Aston Villa connected Friday, and moves them 4 points supra Chelsea, who person 3 games successful hand.

Reading stay bottommost and are 2 points down Brighton & Hove Albion and Leicester City with 3 matches of their run left, having played a crippled much than some of the teams instantly supra them.

City enactment successful chase

If conceding astir instantly represented the worst imaginable commencement for City, their effect was emphatic: by the clip Kelly's 5th extremity of the play brought them level, they had held much than 82% of possession to marque their equaliser look an inevitability.

City wingers Kelly (7.67) and Hemp (5.31) ranked archetypal and 2nd successful the WSL for expected assists earlier the game, truthful it was small astonishment to spot the brace straight lend to 3 goals betwixt them.

Taylor says his wingers person had "flat periods" during the play but knows that giving them amended opportunities has been captious to his squad outscoring Chelsea and Arsenal.

"It's conscionable astir however we get these balls to our wide players successful amended situations," said Taylor. "That's going to find what those stats look like, successful presumption of goals and assists."

Arsenal person 2 games successful manus connected the apical 2 but are six points down City with a amended extremity quality by 3 - 1 much than Chelsea.

Prolific Shaw showed again wherefore she is integral to City's hopes, capitalising connected a transverse again for the squad who person profited astir from deliveries successful unfastened play successful the apical formation this season.

The 26-year-old's eighth extremity successful six WSL games puts her 1 up of Aston Villa's Rachel Daly - the lone different subordinate successful the apical formation to person scored much than 10 times this season.

United's sizeable extremity quality means their neighbours astir surely inactive request Marc Skinner's broadside to gaffe up if they are to overhaul them, but their crippled astatine United connected 21 May looms arsenic a tantalising accidental to supercharge their challenge, portion they indispensable besides anticipation Chelsea bash not overtake them by winning 2 of their games successful hand.

Either broadside of gathering United, City volition spot their travel to Liverpool adjacent Sunday and the sojourn of Everton successful their last fixture arsenic winnable.

Those games are improbable to beryllium arsenic straightforward arsenic the 2nd fractional of this comfy triumph became, earning Gareth Taylor's players an 18th WSL location crippled without decision and a 15th triumph on the way.

Reading's wretched distant tally continues

Reading brag Kelly Chambers spoke of her regret that her broadside conceded aboriginal successful the 2nd fractional alternatively than starting arsenic brightly arsenic they had successful the first.

Opponents successful specified imperious location signifier ever looked an ominous imaginable for a squad who person gone 5 without a triumph and were aiming to extremity a nine-game losing distant tally successful the WSL.

The Royals past prevailed distant astatine Everton successful February 2022, and they person not kept a cleanable expanse connected the roadworthy since a goalless gully astatine Leicester astir a twelvemonth ago.

Troelsgaard's terrific opener was worthy of providing hope, turning smartly to whip her changeable past Roebuck's dive and people arguably the prime of the goals adjacent aft Houghton's precise acceptable piece.

It was the archetypal extremity of the past 11 successful games betwixt these teams to person been scored by Reading, and it wasn't agelong earlier their acquainted tormentors were connected their mode to a 5th successive triumph successful the fixture.

"This was astir apt not the crippled that we would person earmarked to get retired of the relegation battle," said Chambers, adding that the "vibe" has been bully among her squad portion accepting that portion of her task present is to support spirits up.

"Anyone successful shot knows that it conscionable takes 1 result. I genuinely judge that the different teams person got pugnacious games to play.

"It's hard erstwhile you spot yourself astatine the bottom. We person a radical who privation to fight. They privation to get retired and the unit are precisely the same."

Fifth-placed Aston Villa are Reading's visitors adjacent Sunday and Chelsea get successful their last lucifer of the season, erstwhile the reigning champions whitethorn request a effect to successfully support their title.

Reading's champion accidental of securing precious points appears to beryllium connected 21 May, erstwhile they question to a Tottenham squad presently 3 points supra them and connected a four-game winless run.