Manchester City Women: ‘Magic’ win over Chelsea sets WSL title race alight

Man City manager Gareth Taylor earned his archetypal triumph implicit Chelsea successful 11 attempts

What a rubric contention we person connected our hands present successful the Women's Super League.

City and Manchester United are level connected points astatine the summit, nevertheless Arsenal and Chelsea person the contention successful their hands - the Gunners look each of the different 3 contenders and they - arsenic good arsenic the Blues - person a crippled successful hand.

The conflict has been opened wide by City's victory, which came aft manager Gareth Taylor described the fixture arsenic must-win earlier the game.

His players roseate to the task, putting City firmly successful the framework for a maiden WSL title.

"If I was sat present and we'd lost, I'd beryllium asking, did I accidental that?" Taylor said post-match.

"Sometimes erstwhile we accidental things, radical instrumentality a soundbite and it puts unnecessary unit connected you. However, what I did accidental was that I deliberation Chelsea volition triumph the rubric contiguous if we don't win.

"That's not to accidental they inactive won't, but if we mislaid today, astatine this signifier of the season, it's excessively much. Now it's truly opened up."

City had been written disconnected by immoderate aft losing their opening 2 matches of the WSL season, nevertheless pursuing their nonaccomplishment to Chelsea connected 25 September they person not suffered a decision wrong 90 minutes.

They had been winless successful their past 11 WSL games against Chelsea, not winning successful the league since 2017, nevertheless this performance, and the comfy win that came with it, has been what Taylor's broadside person been softly gathering towards for immoderate time.

"I thought it was a truly bully performance," Taylor told BBC One. "In the archetypal half, we went aft them and forced Chelsea into mistakes - scored some of our goals successful presumption of putting them nether unit and they are hard to play against.

"Then, it was each astir taking attraction of the last enactment and we did that truly good for the 2 goals.

"I emotion moving with the girls and they are great. When you person days similar today, it makes it magic."

City impressed each implicit the pitch, with Lauren Hemp successful peculiar lasting retired arsenic she assisted Filippa Angeldahl's wonderfully lofted opener, earlier slamming location a escaped shot for 2-0.

Hemp - who was a uncertainty for the crippled with unwellness - surely did capable to impressment Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinting legend, watching connected astatine Academy Stadium. He asked the Lioness for her garment aft the game.

"Lauren has had an receptor infection, she looked truthful down successful the dumps astatine our pre-match meal," City defender Esme Morgan said aft the game. "She crushed distant truthful hard. Usain Bolt asked for her garment truthful she indispensable person done thing right!"

Now unbeaten successful 14 league matches, winning 12, the assurance is intelligibly coursing done the City side.

"Manchester City won their battles each implicit the pitch," erstwhile England goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis said connected BBC One.

"It was each astir however City started, however they managed the crippled and however they saw it out. City were exceptional today, Chelsea were not, and that's however they came retired arsenic winners."

Hayes: Chelsea were sluggish

Emma Hayes took Lauren James and Sophie Ingle disconnected arsenic she made tactical changes successful the archetypal half

While City were astatine their best, Chelsea were good disconnected the gait arsenic they failed to people for the archetypal clip successful 24 WSL games and suffered their archetypal league nonaccomplishment since the opening lucifer of the season.

The injuries are starting to rack up - Fran Kirby and Pernille Harder are semipermanent absentees, Millie Bright missed this crippled with a sound and Erin Cuthbert limped disconnected successful the 2nd half.

Hayes says some Bright and Cuthbert volition beryllium acceptable to look Lyon successful their Champions League quarter-final 2nd limb connected Thursday. Chelsea, who could lone sanction 7 subs connected an under-powered seat connected Sunday, request each the lukewarm bodies they tin get.

So often, Chelsea look unstoppable successful English women's shot but aft their 3rd distant crippled successful 7 days - this lucifer followed trips to Reading and Lyon successful the FA Cup and Champions League - cracks are appearing astatine Academy Stadium.

"I thought we were truthful sluggish successful the archetypal half," Hayes said. "This was our 3rd distant crippled successful a week and it looked similar it."

Hayes had to dip into her slimmed-down seat earlier half-time, hooking Lauren James and Sophie Ingle connected 36 minutes in, with City 2 up.

Asked her reasons for the aboriginal change, Hayes said: "Legs. The crippled was precise difficult, your minds tin privation to bash a cardinal things but if your legs can't, that's the challenge.

"I deliberation the squad volition beryllium acceptable for the week. The important happening is we've got to determination connected arsenic rapidly arsenic possible."

With conscionable six oregon 7 games remaining, the WSL is heating up. It looks similar 21 May - erstwhile Chelsea play Arsenal and the Manchester clubs conscionable - could beryllium the boiling point.

Forget the Premier League - this is the rubric contention to watch.