Gareth Taylor performed down the potential significance of Manchester Metropolis’s accomplishment after Khadija Shaw’s first-half strike was sufficient to safe a 1-0 victory over Chelsea and draw them stage on factors with the Girls’s Tremendous League leaders.
Although they wanted to win by a minimum of two targets at Kingsmeadow to climb above Friday evening’s opponents, Metropolis additionally matched the Blues’ 28-goal distinction, that means Emma Hayes’ aspect stay leaders solely by advantage of their 41 targets to second-placed Metropolis, who’ve 36.
Regardless of the victory dramatically growing his aspect’s probabilities of unseating the four-time defending champions, Taylor considered it with measured optimism, fast to stress what he nonetheless sees as a protracted highway forward with a lot room for enchancment.
He stated: “I’m actually happy, happy with the gamers. I believed we defended extremely effectively, and we’ve received eight video games to go. We’re excited concerning the problem.
“It’s a giant step, however that’s all it’s. It’s three factors and we transfer onto the subsequent. It’s a giant step for us, there’s little doubt about it. I feel we’ve type of gone beneath the radar just a little bit this season.
“I feel we’ve tried to play our recreation as a lot as we probably can, however we’ve added a little bit of steeliness and willpower to our defending now, we’re making an attempt to enhance our set performs. The indicators are good. It’s simply onerous work from the gamers.”
Shaw’s WSL-leading 14th purpose got here within the 14th minute of the competition at a sold-out Kingsmeadow after Chelsea skipper Erin Cuthbert gave away the ball to a powerful Jess Park, who in flip offered the striker.
The hosts thought that they had a penalty when Mayra Ramirez was introduced down by Alex Greenwood, who on replays appeared to clip the again of the January signing’s ankle with out touching the ball, however, with no VAR, Chelsea’s shout was finally dismissed.
Hayes disagreed with referee Abigail Byrne’s resolution, claiming Ramirez sustained a “reduce all the way in which down and inside her ankle”, however was extra disillusioned in Chelsea’s decision-making and ending.
Metropolis’s victory snapped a 33-match unbeaten streak at Kingsmeadow, however Hayes – who will depart the Blues on the finish of this season to take up her new publish as head coach of america Girls’s nationwide group – was hardly dropping sleep over the statistic.
“It’s not the type of factor you’re going to placed on my tombstone,” she joked.
“I feel I’ll be remembered for the medals we get on the finish of the 12 months, and my focus is on that slightly than what number of followers have been right here, or what number of wins we’ve had right here. For me it’s not fascinating.”
Leicester are first up for Chelsea after the worldwide break, adopted by a reunion with Taylor’s aspect of their Conti Cup semi-final on March 7.
Whereas Hayes is little doubt keenly conscious of how Friday’s loss impacts the rest of the WSL season, she insisted her consideration hardly ever turns to the desk itself.
She added: “It’s shut. It all the time has been. I’ve by no means felt it any totally different approach so I don’t take note of it. I don’t spend time trying up or down a league. It’s like losing time.”
