Gareth Taylor: Man City ‘delivered game plan’ in dazzling Champions League victory over Barcelona

Gareth Taylor has said it’s a really ‘exciting time’ for Manchester City after beating Barcelona 2-0 in their opening 2024/25 UEFA Women’s Champions League game.

The Cityzens were outstanding against the back-to-back champions, in a game that saw Naomi Layzell and Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw hit the back of the net at a sold-out Joie Stadium.

“I’ve got to give credit to the players,” Taylor told reporters after the clash. “We started the game really well and it was one of the best first half performances I’ve seen us have.

“We didn’t want it to come to an end and we could’ve scored even more and to say that against a team like Barcelona shows you what the girls were able to do.”

The first half saw defender Layzell score on her tournament debut after making the move to City from Bristol Rovers this summer.

The 20-year-old was also instrumental in helping City secure their second, before being taken off with an ankle injury. It was her long ball that found Shaw, who then breezed past the goalkeeper before finding the goal.

Naomi Layzell scored City’s first goal on her Champions League debut / Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/GettyImages

Reflecting on Layzell’s performance, Taylor continued: “The reason she does well is because she is smart, eager to learn and very coachable.”

“It was a high level game. When they [Barcelona] move through the gears it can be hard because by the time you move out and engage in the press they are flipping it to the other side of the pitch, but we were really tight in the first half.

“We could’ve done with keeping hold of it a bit more in the second half, even Naomi’s ball through, but we were looking for balls like that the whole time and that’s because Barcelona were leaving space. I understand why they were trying that, but we need to retain possession, refill our lungs and go again.”

City are riding high right now after an unbeaten run in the Barclays Women’s Super League in four matches. They are set to take on Liverpool at the weekend, but Taylor reinforced the importance of recovery after high-pressured games.

“It’s a really exciting time for us as we’ve had a good start to the season,” he explained. “We need to stay humble, grounded, recover and then see where we are at at the weekend.”

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