Manchester City boss Gareth Taylor hailed Lauren Hemp's "moment of magic" after her mazy dribble and assist set up Chloe Kelly's late goal against Reading that sent City top of the WSL.
Kelly struck three minutes from time after excellent work from Hemp to end some dogged resistance from Reading who had frustrated City.
Taylor said: "We spoke at half-time about if we haven't scored even in the first 20 minutes in the second half about being patient, about keeping to the process we work to.
"I think they realised that it is important to remain calm as much as we possibly can. It was a moment of magic really. Lauren Hemp providing the quality, dancing her way through, and then Chloe (Kelly) being in the position again.
"I thought the way the team handled the game today, in difficult circumstances with a little bit of time wasting from the opposition, was really good."
Matchwinner Kelly was also keen to praise the build-up play from Hemp and her ability to create opportunities for City, who notched up an 11th straight victory in the league.
Kelly, whose close-range finish secured a vital three points in City's quest for the WSL title, also credited her teammates with remaining patient despite Reading's stubborn efforts.
"Hemp is something special," Kelly said. "You just know that she is going to create something all the time. Just being in the right position myself, to get on the end of that it was just waiting to happen really.
"It doesn't matter how it comes as long as we get the three points. We were patient going into the final stages of the game and we knew we had to stick with it. You could see the celebrations at the end how much it meant to us."