Manchester City manager Gareth Taylor expressed anger over the refereeing decisions in their 1-0 semi-final loss to Chelsea.
Lauren James’ goal in the first half secured Chelsea’s fifth consecutive Conti Cup final appearance and set up a thrilling final against London rivals Arsenal.
In the closing moments of the game at the Joie Stadium, there was controversy as Alex Greenwood seemed to be fouled in the box. Taylor was adamant that it should have been a penalty, adding to his frustration with the outcome of the match.
The 51-year-old told the BBC: “I just don’t understand sometimes these decisions that go against us.
“That’s a blatant penalty on Alex Greenwood.”
Taylor also explained how disappointed he was with the lack of added time awarded by the officials.
He said: “We’re the team with the ascendency, we play five minutes of added time.
“Here earlier in the season it was 11 minutes and went to 13.
“When we went down there [Chelsea] it was nine minutes and goes to 12.
“I mean come on, that’s not five minutes there of time when Hannah Hampton is choking the clock up.”
Despite the loss, Taylor was pleased with his team’s performance, highlighting their dominance in possession and their 10 shots on target.
The City boss said: “We were magnificent tonight. I thought Hampton was their best player and that told a story.
“I couldn’t have asked for much more from the players.
“Of course we needed to score a goal but their goalkeeper had to make many saves in the second half.”
Manchester City is enjoying a strong season in the Women’s Super League, currently level on points with Chelsea at the top of the table. When asked about the potential psychological impact of their loss against Chelsea, Taylor remained confident in his team’s performance.
He responded: “No, because it was full of positives. Why would we dwell on it?
“There is so much to take from this game. For us it’s using this game as a benchmark.
“We always knew it was going to be tight margins. When two good teams come together, it’s always going to be fairly tight.”