Liverpool earned just a fourth point of the season after a goalless draw with London City Lionesses, writes Jesse Hornby at the Brewdog Stadium.
The match restarted both teams’ Women’s Super League campaigns after the winter break. The stoppage saw London City appoint new head coach, Spaniard Eder Maestre, and The Reds make three new signings.
Liverpool started brightly, continuously winning back possession with a fierce press. After 15 minutes, they’d created a chance, as Cornelia Kapocs won the ball back in the final third and slotted in new signing Alice Bergstrom on the right-hand side, but she placed the ball just wide of the Lionesses’ goal.
The rest of the half saw frustration for both sides. A series of fouls given against Liverpool left the crowd sarcastically applauding any decision that went in their favour.
While new-coach Maestre pleaded for his Lionesses to “move it quicker”, as his team were succumbing to Liverpool’s off-ball pressure.
The half came to an end with the home side’s centre-back, Jenna Clark, heading away London City’s attempt to get Nikita Parris in behind. This was emblematic of the game, as Clark did well to keep the WSL legend quiet throughout.
Liverpool started the second period with another chance for Bergstrom, as she was found free on the right, and she floated a delicious ball towards the far post, but it fell just between the post and a marauding Ceri Holland.
London City finally settled into the game with 15 minutes to go. They found joy on the right and were managing to get balls into the box, but Liverpool defended well, even if there was an air of desperation to it.
The last notable action of the game was the home side’s best chance. The ball was switched from right to left with quick passes, leaving Holland a great opportunity to shoot, yet she couldn’t find the net, as she powered it just over the bar.
After the game, LFC manager Gareth Taylor was very positive about his team’s performance. He said: “The girls were first-class today. I felt like they left everything out there on the pitch. We really limited them to very little.”
He also had high praise for new signing, goalkeeper Jennifer Falk, who picked up a clean sheet on her debut – Liverpool’s first clean sheet of the WSL season. He said: “Jennifer is a player I’ve always admired. For me, she’s one of the top five keepers in the world. How we want to play, how we want to build, she ticks a lot of criteria for that.”
Taylor will be hoping it’s a new year, new Liverpool, as they will look to build on this performance heading into their FA Cup tie against London Bees.
