We might have had a five or six-point lead. ".
Gareth Taylor, the manager of Manchester City, was impressed with his team's effort as they defeated Arsenal by a score of 2-1 to solidify their position in the Women's Super League title race.
Only a few saves from Manuela Zinsberger kept the game close after Lionesses Lauren Hemp and Chloe Kelly scored goals at either end of the first half to give City a well-deserved 2-0 lead.
Rafaelle Souza's header gave Arsenal a point, but they never seriously considered scoring an equalizer as City triumphed and moved ahead of the Gunners into third place.
Taylor exclaimed, "I was so proud of the performance and how brave we were in the second half.".
We could have been five or six goals ahead at halftime thanks to the opportunities we created.
"I'm so happy for the girls; they deserve that so much.
"You can feel yourself getting closer and farther away from the table at different times. There was a significant shift following the victory over Leicester, especially with Manchester United and Arsenal drawing.
We're in a good place, but we're not getting ahead of ourselves. ".
I firmly believe that this team can capture the league title.
City has only won the WSL once, in 2016, but finished third last season, nine points behind Chelsea, and has lost its first two games this season.
Although the league leaders have a game in hand, they haven't lost since and are only two points behind Emma Hayes' team.
After scoring her 50th goal for City, Hemp said, "I really do believe this team can win the league.
We all fight for each other in this amazing squad, which has a family-like atmosphere.
We want to win the league, of course. It is currently open. We demonstrated that we can deal with the best; now we just need to be reliable. ".
In their previous 21 away WSL games, Arsenal had managed to keep 16 clean sheets, but they found it difficult to contain Hemp on the left wing, Kelly on the right, and league leader Khadija Shaw through the middle.
Shaw, Filippa Angeldahl, and Kelly were all denied by a few saves by Zinsberger, and Yui Hasegawa also hit the crossbar.
We're not stupid, we know we're creating lots of chances, but we need to score more goals; the situation needs to change, Hemp continued.
In 14 games dating back to November 2021, City has not suffered a home loss in the WSL. At Academy Stadium, 4,542 fans cheered them on.
Kelly, who was named player of the game after scoring a goal and providing an assist, said, "It was a brilliant day and we knew when we play at home that nobody can play against us.".
"Gaz [Taylor] just gives me confidence right now; he lets me play freely and I'm having fun on the field," the player said.
"I'm at my best and just having fun when I'm having fun," the speaker said.
"I feel like a little girl playing football and having fun," she said. It's fantastic to play with such a great group of girls; we fought hard and focused on the team. ".
Eidevall accepts blame for the loss.
Just one point separated Arsenal from winning the league last season, but they have now drawn twice and lost once in their last three league games.
They continue to trail by five points and are still without forwards Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema, who have both been sidelined for a long time due to serious knee injuries.
The manager, Jonas Eidevall, lamented that "we lost possession way too often in the game, especially in very dangerous areas.".
"Winning football games will be very difficult when you lose possession in those risky areas so frequently.
"We tried to make adjustments during the game, but the fact that we lost is entirely my fault. After scoring, we needed to make them work harder.
"The effort and attitude are not the issue; rather, we need to improve our game management.
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