Nick Cushing heaped praise on his resilient Manchester City side as Nikita Parris’ last-gasp winner saw them battle past Bristol City to reach the SSE Women’s FA Cup Semi Finals.
The Blues were coming off the back of a midweek Champions League game, but started off the better side as a Hayley Ladd own goal had them leading after just six minutes.
Claire Emslie equalised for the hosts, before Parris proved the match-winner thanks to a deflected strike just moments before the full-time whistle.
“It was a really tough game. I expected that because we've played against Willie's [Kirk] teams before and this Bristol team is very young and enthusiastic,” said manager Cushing.
“They're well organised and we knew their front three were going to be really dangerous.
"We created an awful lot in the second half and our build-up and technical play was a lot better but it just wouldn't go in.
“My only worry was going to extra-time because we didn't want the extra 30 minutes, so I'm really proud of the players."
The visitors dominated possession early on and made it count after seven minutes when a Lucy Bronze cross was punched straight into Ladd by goalkeeper Caitlin Leach and the ball ricocheted in.
Bristol City got back on level terms in the first minute of first half injury-time as Emslie was played into the box, slotting past Marie Hourihan at the second attempt.
The Vixens defended in numbers after half-time and Leach kept them in it with a brilliant save to deny Carli Lloyd, before Jodie Brett stopped a Steph Houghton strike on the line.
But the newly-promoted side were undone in the cruellest of fashions, via Parris' ricocheted effort, though manager Willie Kirk insisted he could remain proud of his team.
He said: "They are world-class and we need to keep that in mind. They have probably had easier games and that's pleasing.
"We've stayed in the game right up until the final whistle. There was an air of inevitability about their goal with our defending of corners.
"The big positive for us is that Man City don't concede goals. So the fact we've managed to score and who knows, if they'd scored their second goal a bit earlier we might have had more time to do it again.
“I think the players can be very proud of their performance, but we can't just be happy with that we need to improve on it."
Bristol City 1
Emslie 45+1
Manchester City 2
Ladd (og) 7, Parris 89
Bristol City: (4-5-1): Caitlin Leach; Frankie Brown, Hayley Ladd, Jasmine Matthews, Megan Alexander; Chloe Arthur, Georgia Evans, Millie Turner, Jodie Brett, Claire Emslie; Millie Farrow
Substitutes: Olivia Fergusson for Evans 61, Lily Woodham for Matthews 90, Lily Agg for Brett 90
Substitutes not used: Estelle Randall, Katie Jones
Bookings: None
Red Cards: None
Manchester City: (4-3-3): Marie Hourihan; Lucy Bronze, Steph Houghton, Abbie McManus, Demi Stokes; Izzy Christiansen, Tess Middag, Carli Lloyd; Nikita Parris, Georgia Stanway, Toni Duggan
Substitutes: Jane Ross for Stanway 59, Mel Lawley for Duggan 79, Keira Walsh for Christiansen 90
Substitutes not used: Kosse Asslani, Ellie Roberts
Bookings: None
Red Cards: None
Referee: Richard Hulme
Attendance: 504
