Hemp & Kelly earn Man City seventh straight win

Spectacular late strikes from Lauren Hemp and Chloe Kelly ended Leicester’s dogged resistance to earn Manchester City a seventh successive Women’s Super League victory.

Hemp broke the deadlock as she adjusted her body brilliantly to acrobatically hook home Khadija Shaw’s cross before Kelly curled in directly from a corner to seal the points.

It had seemed the fates were conspiring to cause the hosts to drop crucial points in the WSL title race with the woodwork, the offside flag and some inspired goalkeeping from Leicester stopper Lize Kop thwarting them.

• Follow live action and reaction from Sunday’s WSL matches
• Rate every WSL club’s January transfer window

But the quick-fire late double put Taylor’s side top of the table on goal difference – although champions Chelsea will reclaim pole position if they avoid defeat at home to Everton later on Sunday.

Taylor said his side are “enjoying the moment” as they try to win a first WSL title since 2016.

Victory keeps momentum firmly with Manchester City as they prepare for a huge trip to Kingsmeadow to face Emma Hayes’ Blues in their next WSL game, on Friday, 16 February – a match that will be shown live on BBC Two.

“We’ve not shied away from what we want to achieve,” Taylor said.

“We know we’re going up against a really tough machine in Chelsea and we’ve seen what they’ve done over the past six or seven years.

“We want to be there – we have been there in the main really. Sometimes it can feel like you’re a long way off, sometimes it can feel like you’re really chose and things can change really quick.

“We’re enjoying the moment, keeping the players really grounded.”

Willie Kirk’s Leicester, meanwhile, remain seventh, seven points clear of safety despite a sixth defeat in six WSL meetings with Manchester City.

Hosts leave it late – but prevail in style

Manchester City were kept quiet for large parts of a cagey first half, beginning to come to life just before the interval – but even then, they were mostly restricted to efforts from distance.

Kelly’s 25-yarder, after a surging run through the Leicester half, and Filippa Angeldahl’s instinctive effort from just inside the box were both well saved by Kop.

When the hosts did finally carve the visitors open, Kop raced off her line quickly to smother a shot from Laura Coombs brilliantly after the midfielder took a touch to control Hemp’s low cross six yards out.

The home side stepped up the pressure after the break and thought they had broken through when Shaw prodded home Laia Aleixandri’s knockdown but the WSL’s top scorer was flagged offside.

When Shaw thumped another effort against the crossbar and Coombs’ follow-up effort was superbly saved by Kop, they would have been forgiven for thinking it was not their day.

But, after Hemp had curled inches wide from 20 yards, she provided a memorable opener, marvellously adapting in mid-air to backheel home Shaw’s cross from six yards.

Their second goal moments later was just as eye-catching, as Kelly’s whipped-in corner curled beautifully into the far top corner, perhaps aided by the gusty conditions at Joie Stadium.

Foxes’ jinx goes on – and so does Kirk’s

Having been beaten 4-0 on each of their past two visits here – and losing all three of the meetings between the sides at King Power Stadium too – Leicester have rarely come closer to claiming a point against Manchester City.

They offered little in attack, with a first-half Jutta Rantala shot that sailed over the bar their only effort of the entire game.

But they defended stoutly and looked comfortable for large spells, with only the late pair of out-of-the-ordinary goals finally ending their defiance.

For boss Kirk, it was more Manchester misery – he has lost each of his 14 WSL matches against Manchester City, losing those by an aggregate score of 42-4, the longest ever losing run by a manager against a WSL rival.