Yamashita

Coughlin, who was part of the first-place tie to start Sunday, ended the LA Championship tied for third at 19 under with Esther Henseleit and Miyu Yamashita.

Jill Roord, Aoba Fujino, Rebecca Knaak, Laura Coombs, Naomi Layzell and keeper Ayaka Yamashita have also missed a significant number of games this season as City currently sit fourth in the WSL, seven points adrift of Manchester United in the final Champions League spot with just four games left.

City's efforts weren't helped by an injury to influential midfielder Yui Hasegawa, while Spain defender Leila Ouahabi started on the bench and keeper Ayaka Yamashita was replaced by Khiara Keating in the line-up with a problem expected to keep her out for a few weeks.

But Taylor believes Keating will come back again, despite competition for her place from summer signing Ayaka Yamashita undoubtedly increasing pressure.

Nobuhiro Yamashita first directed the scenes in live-action, with the actors sometimes outfitted in the outlandish costumes of the remarkably designed, magical characters.