Amber Whiteley previews Liverpool FC Women vs Everton at Anfield for their last home game of the season.
Lessons learnt from Tottenham
The reds came back from being 2-1 down at half time against Tottenham in their last match to get a 2-2 draw.
The draw wasn’t enough to hold onto 5th place after Brighton scored a late goal against Everton.
Whiteley said: “We were frustrated not to take all three points against Tottenham.
“We were disappointed to concede two quick goals in the first half after a promising start.
“I thought the response to going 2-1 down was good and we played some nice football in the second half.
“We had much better control in possession and looked threatening at times, but we lacked the quality needed in the final third.”
Importance of Sophie Roman Haug
Thanks to Roman Haug’s two goals against Spurs, Liverpool were able to secure a point from the game.
She has provided goals in crucial moments for Liverpool this season, including the winning goal against Arsenal in the quarter final of the FA Cup.
Whiteley said: “I was really pleased for Sophie to get back in the goals against Tottenham last weekend.
“I thought she took both opportunities really well.
“She was brilliant again in training today we’ve been working on getting her into the right positions and working on the supply to Soph because she is absolutely key to us.”
Last time at Anfield
Liverpool won their last Anfield match against Manchester United- making it their first ever win at Anfield.
Amber Whiteley spoke of the confidence boost that win will give the team going into the Merseyside derby.
She said: “I think was a really important win for us at Anfield against Man United last time out and I think we get huge confidence from that performance, and we’ll take that into the game this weekend.
“We really enjoyed playing at Anfield last time out and we hope for another good performance this weekend.”
Leanne Kiernan injury update
Whiteley provided an injury update on Irish forward, Leanne Kiernan after she missed the Tottenham match due to injury.
She said: “Leanne [Kiernan] is still a little bit away from where we thought she would be at this stage so it’s unlikely that we’ll have Leanne on Sunday.”
Unwanted records
Liverpool Women haven’t beaten Everton in the WSL since 2019, a record Amber Whiteley is looking to break at the weekend.
She said: “It’s a game that we’re looking forward to more than anything
“The Merseyside derby at Anfield it doesn’t come much better than that so a really important game for us in terms of our position as well.
“We haven’t beaten Everton since 2019 so we’ve got absolutely everything to play for this weekend.
“I think the record is disappointing and definitely something we want to put an end to this weekend.
“It’s something we want to put right, something that we face into and something I’ve spoken to the players about
“We want to put in a performance we’re proud of and that the fans can get behind and we want to get the three points.”
Rivalry vs the occasion
The Liverpool and Everton rivalry is longstanding in football with both clubs being situated near each other in Liverpool City.
Whiteley discussed the need to balance the rivalry with the need to secure 5th place again.
She said: “Both things are important- we want to beat Everton our rivals and we want to get the three points to get us as close to 5th as possible.”
Rewriting previous injustices
Last time out Everton beat Liverpool 1-0 in Goodison Park after a controversial penalty was awarded to the toffees.
Whiteley said: “I think yes the decision went against us but across the 90 minutes I don’t think we did enough to win the game that day.
“The performance has got to be much improved on the last one if we want to take all three points from Everton at the weekend.”
Both Everton and Liverpool’s form since the last match has improved greatly with both in contention for a 5thplace finish at the end of the season.
The Reds’ manager said: “I think Everton have much improved since the Christmas break, they’ve got some really good results.
“They’ll be really disappointed with the result against Brighton last weekend and to lose it late on.
“I think we’re also in a similar position; we’ve had a really good run of form as of late and we go into this game with good confidence.”
Importance of home support
This match is Liverpool’s third at Anfield this season with crowds growing each game.
Amber Whiteley spoke of the importance of continuing support in order to potentially play more matches at Anfield.
She said: “The home support is massive to use to give us that extra edge.
“We want to put on a performance that the fans can enjoy, really get behind and that will bring more people to our games in the future.”
Gemma Bonner’s record
Should Gemma Bonner play against Everton she will become the first player to appear in ten WSL Merseyside derbies.
Whiteley said: “Its huge and Gemma’s been so consistent particularly since I’ve taken charge.
“She’s fantastic week in week out and is a huge part of our dressing room so it’s great to have her experience in the team for a big game like this one.”
Liverpool take on Everton at Anfield on Sunday 4th May at 12pm.
(Feature image by Clare Tweed)
