Liverpool Women’s Derby Drought Continues at Goodison Park
Liverpool Women missed the chance to end their four-year run without a victory in a Women’s Super League (WSL) Merseyside Derby as they played out a goalless draw against Everton at Goodison Park. The result means that Liverpool’s winless streak against Everton in the WSL now extends to nearly four years.
What could have been a day that validated Liverpool as one of the WSL’s best turned into a frustrating afternoon of stoppages, backward passes, and wasted opportunities. A 0-0 draw at Goodison Park is far from a disaster, but in the context of the season, it felt disappointing.
Liverpool entered the match as favorites, having earned nearly double Everton’s points tally this season. However, the first half of the game struggled to get going, with several stoppages due to injuries. Everton captain Megan Finnigan was forced off early on, followed by Courtney Brosnan and Liverpool midfielder Ceri Holland going down for extended periods. Eventually, both managed to continue playing.
In the latter period of the first half, Liverpool started to assert their dominance, forcing the hosts to defend resolutely. The best chance of the half fell to Sophie Roman Haug, who intercepted a loose pass and had an open goal to aim for. However, her shot on her weaker left foot lacked power, allowing the goalkeeper to save comfortably.
The second half mirrored the first in terms of gameplay, prompting Liverpool manager Matt Beard to make a double substitution on the hour mark. Marie Hobinger and Leanne Kiernan came on for Missy Bo Kearns and Leanne Kiernan, respectively. Shortly after the substitutions, Jasmine Matthews went off with an injury and was replaced by Yana Daniels.
With 20 minutes remaining, Lucy Hope almost caught Liverpool goalkeeper Rachel Laws off guard with a spectacular effort that hit the underside of the crossbar. However, the game failed to catch fire as Laws needed treatment off the ball. During the pause, Liverpool brought on Melissa Lawley for Lucy Parry on the wing.
Despite the substitutions, neither side could find a breakthrough, and Everton had the better of the second half. The draw sees Liverpool move into fourth place in the league standings, but they would have preferred three points ahead of their tough home match against title-chasers Manchester City.
Player of the match honors went to Jenna Clark for her solid defensive performance. Liverpool Women’s next match is against Manchester City at home on March 30th.
Lineup:
Liverpool Women: Laws; Parry (Lawley 74′), Fisk, Fahey, Clark; Matthews (Daniels 64′), Nagano, Holland; Kearns (Hobinger 59′), Kiernan (Enderby 59′), Roman H.
Subs not used: Micah, Van de Sanden, Bonner
Next match: Manchester City (Home) – WSL – March 30, 12:30 PM (GMT)