Manchester City boss Gareth Taylor has called on his side to pick up where they left off ahead of their Women's Super League clash against Liverpool.

After beating Championship side Durham 4-0 in the FA Cup on Sunday, City resume their WSL campaign after the winter break.

They are second in the table — just three points behind league leaders Chelsea — and Taylor hopes his side can continue their good run of performances against Liverpool on Sunday.

He told a press conference: "We want to pick up from where we were, which was in a good place — I think not just with where we are in the league but with our performances.

"I like the identity of the team at the moment. I like the way they're managing games with and without the ball against various opposition.

"So I think there have been some really positives in the first half of the season, some really good performances, good individual performances, good team performances, lots of contributions, so we're going to need that second half of the season for sure.

"I feel the players, the mentality is they're ready for it and are looking forward to it."

Liverpool are sniffing around the top spots, going into the weekend in fifth but only four points behind City, and manager Matt Beard is looking forward to his side testing themselves against City.

He said: "I actually think they've probably been the best team this year in the league, so it's definitely going to be a tough challenge but our games against Manchester City have been competitive and exciting for the neutral.

"So we're looking forward to the test on Sunday and I'm sure it's going to be an exciting game."