Penalties had been the order of the day as Liverpool Ladies marked their return to the Ladies’s Tremendous League in fashion to beat final season’s champions, Chelsea.
Liverpool Ladies 2-1 Chelsea Ladies
Ladies’s Tremendous League (1), Prenton Park
September 18, 2022
Targets
Kirby 03′ (pen)
Stengel 67′ (pen)
Stengel 87′ (pen)
Again within the high flight after profitable the Championship final season, Matt Beard’s LFC Ladies walked out at Prenton Park in entrance of a file crowd for a ladies’s sport on the stadium, with 3,006 in attendance.
Regardless of occurring to get three factors, the night started within the worst means attainable when the Reds conceded a penalty simply 60 seconds in.
Defender Gilly Flaherty went to clear the ball, nevertheless, unbeknownst to her, Guro Reiten had appeared from behind and received herself between Flaherty and the ball then went to floor as she felt the contact.
Fran Kirby had no drawback changing the penalty, calmly rolling the ball to Rachael Legal guidelines’ left because the keeper dived the opposite means.
The early setback didn’t hurt Liverpool’s spirits although and shortly after, Blues keeper Zecira Musovic spilt within the field however Melissa Lawley was simply unable to maintain her down her follow-up effort.
From then till the break, Chelsea had all of the ball however didn’t pose Liverpool a lot hazard as Beard’s facet held a slender form and stored Chelsea out of their defensive third for essentially the most half.
Half time: Liverpool 0-1 Chelsea
After the break, Liverpool appeared extra assured.
Shortly after approaching within the 57th minute, Megan Campbell made an affect sending a protracted throw into the realm that was flicked on by Flaherty solely to hit the outstretched arm of Chelsea‘s Millie Vibrant. Penalty quantity two of the match.
Katie Stengel then opened her account for the season by changing in a similar way to Kirby’s first-half spot-kick.
Three of Chelsea‘s summer time signings had been all introduced on by Emma Hayes in an try to salvage a winner for the facet who’ve dominated the WSL lately, profitable 5 of the final six titles.
However, in the long run, the profitable aim got here from the house staff thanks to a different penalty, taken and earnt by American ahead Stengel, who intercepted a free move and, willed on by the roar of the group, made her means into the field earlier than being introduced down by Buchanan.
The one detrimental of the day got here when final 12 months’s participant of the season, Leanne Kiernan, went off injured within the second half, unable to place weight on her proper leg following a sliding problem from Kadeisha Buchanan.
Liverpool have stronger squad depth than final season although and are better-placed to take care of the damage.
Simply the 2 Niamhs, Fahey and Charles had been on the pitch for Liverpool the final time these two met in February 2020, when Chelsea narrowly defeated The Reds within the FA Cup Fifth Spherical.
One among them, Fahey is Liverpool’s captain. The opposite, Charles, who was born on the Wirral, lined up for the opposition having signed for the Londoners the summer time after the cup sport.
It’s an indication of simply how a lot has modified since relegation two years in the past.
TIA Participant of the Match: Katie Stengel
Attendance: 3,006
Liverpool: Legal guidelines, Koivisto (Roberts, 71), Flaherty, Fahey, Matthews, Hinds, Kearns (Furness, 71), Holland, Lawley (Daniels, 71), Kiernan (Campbell, 57), Stengel (Humphrey, 90+5).
Subs not used: Cumings, Kirby, Gown, Silcock.
Subsequent Match: Everton (dwelling (Anfield)), Sunday, 25 September, 6:45pm
