The English forward stepped forward after Laura Berry was fouled inside the penalty area, sending Lee Gibson the wrong way to condemn City to their first domestic defeat this campaign.
Speaking to RangersTV after the victory, she said of her winning penalty: “It’s important in moments like that you’re able to handle the pressure.
“I practice them a lot which helps in terms of preparation, but it’s just belief and I’m grateful that I was able to do that today.
“I’m grateful for the three points because that’s we wanted out of today. I said on Wednesday night that we needed quality, and I thought the girls were outstanding today.
“I think we had a few really good moments. Their goalkeeper made some really good saves keeping it at 0-0, but you could see the belief in us that something would come.
It was a welcome return to winning ways for Leanne Crichton’s side after a difficult week where they were defeated at Hearts before being forced to settle for a point away to Hibernian.
Victory leaves Rangers within five points of the summit, bookending a top four comprising City, Celtic and Hearts.
Wilkinson continued: “It’s not just the three points but also the way we performed in and out of possession.
“We didn’t get it quite right and we had to put a lot of things right. I think today we showed that.
“We can use that performance as a real big positive and we get straight back in tomorrow to prepare for Sunday.
“I said on Wednesday night that the fight was there, but fight isn’t necessarily going to put the ball in the back of the net. We were lacking a bit of quality, but today for the whole 90 minutes we showed that.”
All eyes are now on next weekend’s Sky Sports Cup final showdown against the same opposition.
Wilkinson says Rangers can take plenty of confidence from this afternoon’s display and says the side’s preparations between now and next Sunday will be key.
She added: “A cup game is always different, but we’ll enjoy today for what is it, get back in tomorrow to recover, and get ready for Sunday.”
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