Taylor praises 'excellent' Keating after Man City knock Arsenal out of the FA Cup
GARETH TAYLOR praised Khiara Keating after Manchester City stood firm against Arsenal to end the Gunners' FA Cup run.
The goalkeeper shone despite being jeered by City's raucous fans during City's 1-0 victory in the fifth round.
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The result came three months after a mistake from Keating saw the Gunners defeated 2-1 in the WSL.
This time it was the Cityzen star who had the last laugh with her shot-stopping heroics ending Arsenal's hopes of reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals.
City Chief Taylor said, “This is like redemption for her. I don't know what was going on in her head.
'But I think she's been preparing for weeks. She told me that.
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“Khiara was excellent in what she had to do and what she had to go through, especially at the beginning of the match, with the words of the crowd.
“Arsenal are making a mess of it here (at Meadow Park) but they handled it very well.
“The fans are behind them and they really keep going and don't stop.
'But after a while with Khiara their attention went elsewhere, which is good and shows she was doing something right.
“But I think it's fantastic for a young player to know that you're going to make mistakes in the game and that's how you react. And she has responded so well since then.”
Some classy saves from Keating later in the match, including a stunning stop into the top corner, were among the efforts that saw Jonas Eidevall's aces denied.
And her shift was watched by England boss Sarina Wiegman, who was in the stands ahead of the Lionesses' friendlies against Austria and Italy this month.
Taylor added: “It was just really nice for her to come away (with a clean sheet and win).
“Sometimes there are skeletons in the wardrobe and there are skeletons that you've had in your career when you go to certain games (and grounds).
“I've had it myself (as a player) where I thought, 'It's a nightmare and I've never played well in this stadium', so it's a lot of fun when you turn it the other way.”
In the early stages of the match, both sides struggled to find an edge.
Arsenal's Caitlin Foord came closest to the goal with a shot that made it 13e-minute save from Keating.
Later in the half, City saw their case for penalties disappear after Lotte Wubben-Moy appeared to elbow Khadija Shaw during an aerial duel.
And Shaw pulled off a brilliant save from Gunners goalkeeper Sabrina D'Angelo to push her header away from goal and into the top corner in the 61st minute.st minute.
The deadlock was broken fourteen minutes later when Laia Aleixandri poked home from Chloe Kelly's free-kick.
City then suffered a late barrage, including Victoria Pelova's header palmed away by Keating, with the keeper later tipping Kim Little's volley over the crossbar.
The hosts felt they might have scored a goal, with Keating's catch initially looking as if it had gone over the line.
But City held on to secure victory, with Arsenal suffering a second straight defeat in all matches.
Gunners boss Eidevall said: “It was a very tight game. We're gutted because we were on the wrong side of every margin. It's a tough one to take.”
A match in the last eight of the League Cup is just around the corner for Arsenal, with the title hunters visiting London City Lionesses on Wednesday.
On whether a win this season is crucial given the team has lifted one trophy in the last five years, Eidevall added: “We want to compete in every competition.
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“That is the ambition, otherwise you should not be at this club or represent this club.
“We want to win both competitions we are still in. We have to be that ambitious.
“We also have to understand that it is hard work. We don't have complete control over it either.”