Gareth Taylor: Man City boss praises young star after Liverpool win | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Gareth Taylor has praised young defender Gracie Prior following his side's 4-0 Women's Super League (WSL) win over Liverpool on Sunday.

After a quiet start to the game at the Joie Stadium, striker Khadija Shaw opened the scoring on the 30-minute mark. The Jamaica international then netted a second before half-time, giving the hosts a 2-0 lead going into the break.

Midfielder Jill Roord added a third in the second half to put the result beyond doubt, before 20-year-old defender Prior added a fourth to round off a strong performance from Taylor's side.

City remain 12 points adrift of leaders Chelsea in the title race, but they are at least closing in on the top three and Champions League places.

Speaking after the game, Taylor praised Prior following her first WSL start and first senior goal, especially as she had been drafted in as a late replacement for teammate Naomi Layzell.

"Really good" was how the boss summed up her performance. "Gracie was called on really late. Naomi Layzell was down to play but was feeling nauseous, so we decided to put her on the bench and see how she was after the warm-up.

Gracie Prior helped Man City beat Liverpool / Cameron Smith - Danehouse/GettyImages

"She still wasn't feeling great, but Gracie got her opportunity slightly out of position. I thought she was excellent with and without the ball. She made a really solid start, handled it really well, and was really mature for someone so young. I wasn't sure she meant the goal though. I asked her afterwards and she just smiled, which told me everything!"

It was a crucial result for City, having won just one of their previous four league matches. Before Christmas, they suffered a narrow loss to Everton and have since been beaten by Manchester United and Arsenal in recent weeks.

However, while the WSL title is now out of reach, they remain in contention for three other trophies. They have a League Cup final against Chelsea, an FA Cup quarter-final against Aston Villa, and a Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea, meaning confidence is everything.

"I think three points and a clean sheet are important for us," Taylor concluded.

"I'm pleased with the performance tonight. The girls followed the game plan really well, we made changes which didn't affect the flow and tried to protect a few who have played quite a bit at the moment, so overall I'm really pleased."