‘We will bounce back’, says Taylor after losing WSL top spot

Manchester City manager Gareth Taylor vowed his side will bounce back after giving up the lead in the Women's Super League with a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea.

Mayra Ramirez and Guro Reiten both scored within four minutes late in the second half as defending champions Chelsea condemned City to their first league defeat and vaulted them to the top.

Sonia Bompastor's side now have a two-point lead at the top and a game in hand over City, but Taylor was confident his side would continue to challenge the Blues for the WSL title.

“We've always done really well when we've lost, and we don't lose often. It's a tough challenge,” Taylor told Sky Sports after the match.

“We are joining a team that has done well in recent years. We will definitely come back. The league is never won in November.

“Football is about getting kicked, and it's about how you get back up. We're on top.”

The match appeared to be heading towards a draw for most of the way before Ramirez and Reiten struck in the 75th and 79th minutes respectively, as Chelsea finished the match with an xG of 0.85, compared to City's 0.56.

FULL TIME | Defeat in London.

2-0 #ManCity | @okx pic.twitter.com/S1vtspYJp1

— Manchester City Women (@ManCityWomen) November 16, 2024

“It was a game full of mistakes from both teams. In the first half they made more mistakes and we could have taken advantage of them. In the second half we evened the balance. We had the game under control, but by the seventy minute mark It looked like a 0-0,” Taylor added.

“We didn't function in the final third. We had to convert our moments into better chances. We got caught and before you know it, the game is taken away from us.”

Taylor was once again without Lauren Hemp for the crunch clash and the City manager said no return date has been set for the forward, who has registered five assists in the WSL this season.

“If you lose a player of Lauren's ability it will be a problem for everyone,” Taylor told BBC Sport.

“We still have good players there. I can't give you a timetable on Lauren because I don't know.”