‘The girls really deserved that win’ – Taylor reacts to Manchester City’s victory over Aston Villa | OneFootball

Manchester City head coach Gareth Taylor said that his side fully-deserved their 2-1 victory over Aston Villa at The Joie Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Cityzens went behind in the first half when Aston Villa forward Gabi Nunes steered the ball into the net, but they fought back in the second period and impressive finishes from Lauren Hemp and Jill Roord brought the scoreline into their favour.

When speaking to the media after the match, Manchester City boss Taylor said that his side fully-deserved the three points given the calmness and composure that they showed throughout.

“The performance was top,” Taylor said. “I felt that we conceded one action in the first half; the one shot on goal they had, the one counter-attack that we didn’t control. I felt that the second half, we dominated and Villa were coming out pressing more.

“I feel the girls really deserved that win because of the way we stayed calm. The way we continued to play our game was really, really a credit to them.”

Taylor was full of praise for his side’s goalscorers. Midfielder Roord scored her first goal since returning from an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury while Hemp played a part in both goals, scoring herself before assisting for Roord.

Commenting on the pair, Taylor said “She [Roord] is a dream to work with and it was fabulous play by Lauren. Lauren’s just a spark for us, she did amazingly well and when that ball was pulled back to Jill, there’s only one person you want in that situation and that’s Roord because she’s so calm and composed.

“Sometimes, when you come back from a long-term injury like Jill has, it takes you a while to get going. I’m really pleased for her confidence.”

Taylor did not shy away from the fact that his side can still improve but he believes that Manchester City should be given huge credit for the character that they showed to turn the game around.

He said “We always look to improve, there’s no doubt about that. We always look at areas where we can be potentially better. I still felt even at 2-1 in the last five or six minutes that we were a little bit deep, we needed to be a bit braver, so of course, I’m not going to deny that, but also, similar to my message at half-time, it’s focus on the positives. Please give us some credit for what we’ve done rather than worrying about conceding and actually, we’re showing unbelievable character.”

Manchester City are next in action on 3 November 2024 when they travel to Crystal Palace.