Liverpool women take on Tottenham Hotspur in their final game at the Totally Wicked Stadium this season.
Beating Brighton
The Reds secured a 2-1 victory over Brighton to overtake them in the table and move to fifth place.
Amber Whiteley said: “I thought the first half in particular was really strong, I really loved the energy from the team.
“I was really pleased with that first half performance and then second half, I think we got pegged back a little bit.
“When you’re pegged back early on in the second half, it changes a dynamic of the game a little bit.
“But we managed to see it out well and stayed in control in the second half, just didn’t dominate as much on the ball, so great result and great performance overall, really pleased.”
Sights set on fifth
The top four teams in the WSL table have separated themselves from the other eight, meaning fifth place is the highest Liverpool can finish.
Whiteley said: “Really important that we hold on to fifth place, that’s the aim for us.
“It’s the highest we can finish the season, so the teams below us will be wanting to catch us.
“We’ve got to make sure that every week we’re absolutely on our game and, you know, we do everything that we can to keep that fifth place, so that starts with Tottenham this weekend.
“I think we’ve made great progress over the last couple of months, but we want to keep pushing on and it’ll be no different next season.
Injury news
Chelsea loanee Alejandra Bernabe will remain out for the season after a muscle injury being worse than initially expected.
Unfortunately Leanne Kiernan’s involvement on the weekend will depend on further assessment.
The Red’s manager said: “We’re just waiting to see how Leanne Kiernan is- she’s picked up another knock in training on the same leg that she got a knock on against Chelsea, so I need to see how she is after further assessment.”
In positive news, despite being subbed off towards the end of the second half due to injury, Olivia Smith has been in full training and will be available against Spurs.
Expectations against Tottenham
Tottenham have been in a poor run of form having lost four and drawn one in their last five games.
Amber Whiteley said: “Obviously, they’ve been on a bit of a poor run of form and will probably be very keen to get a result on Sunday.
“They’ll be ready to try and break that bad run of form, so we’ve got to be ready for a tough Tottenham side.
“We know that they possess lots of threat in their attacking line and they might not dominate the ball, but if they get opportunities in front of goal, they can be really clinical, so we’ve got to be mindful of that on Sunday.”
Winning ahead of Merseyside derby
The Reds take on their local rival Everton on May 4th in Anfield and with only four points between the two sides points are crucial.
Whiteley said: “I think it’s really important that we perform well on Sunday and get the result.
“We were disappointed with the performance and the result against Villa last time at St. Helens, so we’ll be looking to put that right on Sunday.
“And of course, it gives you great confidence and then going into the Merseyside Derby the week after, it’s a really important fixture for us on Sunday.”
A new Liverpool
Liverpool last played Tottenham in October 2024 and defeated them 3-2 after a late winner from Marie Hobinger. This was their first WSL win of the season for Liverpool.
Since that game Liverpool have won six games.
Whiteley said: “We’re completely different in the way that we set up different formation, different structure.
“I think the overall level of organisation has been really good in recent weeks, so that’s going to be important again on Sunday.
“I think two completely different sides almost, in my opinion in comparison to the last time we played, so difficult to put it all into words.”
Final game at St. Helens
At the beginning of the season Liverpool have played a majority of their home games at St. Helens’ stadium.
As they take on Everton at Anfield for their final home match of the season, the Spurs match will be the final match at St. Helens for the season.
Amber Whiteley said: “Yeah, it’s been really positive for us to moving over to St. Helen’s fantastic stadium and amazing playing surface it allows us to play the sort of football that we want to try and play.
“And the home support has being fantastic all season and I think if we can keep improving the product, it’ll help grow our fan base.
“It’s been a great home for us, but we want to be more consistent there going forward.”
Liverpool face Tottenham Hotspur at St. Helens’ stadium on Sunday 27th April at 12pm.
(Feature image by Neive Clarke)
