Gareth Taylor praises Alanna Kennedy as 'lessons learned' in Man City's UWCL win - 'She proved me wrong'

Manchester City boss Gareth Taylor admitted there were "lessons learned" by his side as they were given a scare by St. Polten in the UEFA Women's Champions League.

Mary Fowler scored a late winner for The Cityzens, as they came from behind to earn a 3-2 victory in Austria.

It means the English club have won both of their matches in Group D.

Taylor claimed his side were good value for the victory, even if they could have made life easier for themselves.

"I'm just really pleased to get the three points," he said. "I thought it was a difficult game on a really difficult pitch, people at home might not have realised that.

"You could see how bobbly it was, so we couldn't really play centrally and the space was out wide.

"It took us a while to recognise that, but when we did we switched the play multiple times and really caused them problems.

"I think it was a bit of a lesson learned. When you play teams like Polten, people expect an easy three points; these games certainly aren't."

City took the lead after just five minutes, when Alanna Kennedy broke the deadlock with a stunning strike from outside the area.

It is only her second goal for City since joining from Tottenham in 2021.

And given the Australian's lack of goalscoring prowess, Taylor was not expecting the ball to end up in the back of the net.

"It was a hell of a hit," he said. "To be honest, I wasn't sure when she took the strike it was the right call, but she proved me wrong!

"She set herself nicely, and we should've had more. We missed some chances to increase our lead and that's what can happen if you don't take them.

"You leave yourself susceptible to a couple of set plays which we needed to deal with better. But we made some changes and then obviously it was nice to go and win the game.

"I liked what we did at the end of the game as well in controlling the final ten minutes. It's important and not easy to do because they were an energetic team who pressed hard."

TNT Sports will show over 500 matches from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League across the 2024/25 season. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.Gareth Taylor Head Coach of Manchester City at full time during the UEFA Women's Champions League match between Manchester City and FC Barcelona at Manchester City Academy Stadium on October 9, 2024 in Manchester, England.