Liverpool Women suffered their third defeat in a row at the hands of a clinical Arsenal side in the Women’s Super League.
Two goals in 25 minutes from Lia Walti and Frida Maanum were enough to get the job done and claim the three points, with The Reds unable to find a way back into the contest.
Alex Caddick was at Prenton Park to cast his eye over Matt Beard’s side >>>
Player Ratings:
Rachael Laws – 6
The Reds goalkeeper couldn’t have done much about Arsenal’s opening goal. The defence didn’t do her any favours for the second and she made a great save to deny a third. Law’s distribution wasn’t great at times, handing possession of the ball back to the visitors too often.
Emma Koivisto – 5
Good work rate at right-wing back but output was sloppy overall. Provided a good outlet on the right where The Red’s possession often went, but failed to create an opening when on the ball.
Taylor Hinds – 6
A quiet start, the left side was non-existent for the opening 30 minutes with play being focused down the right. However, when on the ball, Hinds showed good crossing ability and some tidy play. Her teammates needed to get her on the ball more often.
Gilly Flaherty – 4
Had to get closer to Maanum for the second goal and it looked far too easy for the Arsenal forward to drive forward. Her distribution wasn’t fantastic either and cohesion across the back three didn’t seem as strong as usual.
Made a slow start in midfield. With only her and Holland in the middle it was a tough task for the pair. But when she did get on the ball, Matthews showcased her technical ability and held her own when needed.
Megan Campbell – 6
Put in an impressive last-ditch block on Beth Mead’s back post effort which looked goal bound. She also displayed some excellent defensive recoveries, but has some accountability for the team’s overall defensive performance.
Niamh Fahey – 5
Hot and cold performance from Fahey today. There were times where she looked in control of the back line and showed her commanding and demanding qualities. Then there were occasions when she mistimed interceptions and distribution could have been better at times.
Always an outlet at centre forward. Had a busy start but service quickly dried up for her. Liverpool needed to involve Stengel more and get bodies up around her. As a result, some of her best qualities were wasted today.
Yana Daniels – 6
Displayed great tenacity and work rate. A good shift but failed to give Katie Stengel good support and had little attacking output.
Ceri Holland – 6
A decent progressor in the middle but needed some support. It was easy to feel sorry for her and Matthews at times in a two-player midfield against a strong Arsenal side. Holland broke the lines well to help retain possession.
Relatively quiet in terms of involvement. When she was on the ball however, Lawley showed a lack of care, including one really poor pass meant for Taylor Hinds during a promising spell of possession that ultimately gave Arsenal back control.
Substitutions:
Missy Bo Kearns – 5
Great drive from deep and looking to support Stengel. Kearns carried the ball really well, and almost played Stengel in behind. It would have been good to see more of her in the game as she made a positive impact and impression off the bench.
Struggled to make an impact when coming on, which was going to be tough considering there was little rhythm or momentum in the contest when she was introduced.
