Liverpool Women 1, Durham 1: New Season, Same Old Disappointment

Liverpool struggled to take hold of their first game of the
season, and were undone by a poor turnover

Pregame

The Liverpool women kick off their season today against
Durham at Prenton Park. The club struggled mightily last season in
the FA Women’s Super League before the season was terminated due to
the pandemic, and the club was summarily relegated. There was
another mass exodus in the offseason, with several of the players
firing parting shots about how bad things are behind the
scenes.

Still, a new season and a new hope. Liverpool look to get their
promotion push underway against a Durham side that do not have
enough players to fill out their bench. Honestly, Liverpool were
close to being in the same situation until a couple weeks ago.

First Half

To say the game looks disjointed would be an understatement.
Both teams are struggling to move the ball through the midfield,
with lots of unforced turnovers. Rinsola Babajide seems to be the
lone bright light of attacking play from Liverpool. She uses her
quick feet to absolutely roast the Durham defender before playing a
sumptuous ball across the face of goal. Unfortunately, the rest of
the Liverpool attack seemed as dazzled as I was watching the
footwork, and no one made a run to get into place to finish.

Durham have had the lions share of chances, with several coming
off of set pieces. Rachel Laws does well to tip a cross-shot just
over the bar, and there is some desperate defending off of a couple
of corner kicks.

GOAL LIVERPOOL!!! The Reds open up the scoring after Babajide
slides a wonderful through ball to Rachel Furness. Furness calmly
slots the ball past the keeper into the net. It was a nice counter
against the run of play (if there really was a run of play).

Liverpool manage to snuff out another couple of attacks to take
their 1-0 lead into the locker room at the half.

Second Half

Liverpool are sloooowly starting to take more control over the
game. Rinsola Babajide is again at the heart of most of the
attacking play, popping up all over the field. She also manages to
get a soft yellow card for a shoulder barge. I have no idea how
that was a yellow.

The ref shows she has a lack of understanding of the advantage
rule as play is stopped for a foul after Liverpool had progressed
the ball and it was slipped in to Babajide in the box. The free
kick is taken short by Liverpool, and is quickly intercepted and
goes back the other way. Leighanne Robe hustled back to snuff out
the opportunity.

Babajide hits a rocket of a shot from the edge of the box, but
it is straight at the keeper for a comfortable save. Substitute
Jessica Clarke has been lively, getting involved in the build up
play.

Big chance for Durham is wasted as the shot from 12 yards is
right at Rachael Laws. That was probably the best chance all day
for Durham.

Durham’s Iris Achterhof goes down under a hard but fair
challenge and the medical staff come on the field. After a few
minutes of treatment, she is able to walk off under her own power.
Hope she is ok. Durham are playing with 10 players.

Rinsola Babajide and Jess Clarke combine well on the right, with
Clarke lofting an enticing cross into the box, but no one was
central to challenge for the ball.

Big chance for Liverpool! A free kick from about 30 yards out on
the left side of the box is driven in, and Rachel Furness slides in
to get a foot on it, but the ball rockets just on the wrong side of
the post.

Goal Durham. Liverpool take a thrown in deep in their own half,
and are quite lazy getting the ball forward. Beth Hepple picks the
ball off at the edge of the box, and then lifts a delicate lob over
Laws, and the ball nestles just inside the far post. It was a
superb finish, but extremely disappointing from Liverpool as Durham
are still playing with 10 players.

Liverpool have five minutes to steal a late goal. They earn a
corner, which is driven into the box. The Durham keeper makes a
brave leap into a heap of players to claim the ball.

So close from Liverpool. Another free kick from Hinds deep on
the left side is driven into the box. The ball gets headed back
across the face of goal, and a Durham player gets a toe on the ball
to send it just past the outside of the post. Liverpool try to pile
on the pressure with the ensuing corner, but nothing comes of it.
The final whistle blows, and it’s a depressing 1-1 draw.

Post-game Thoughts

Liverpool struggled to get much going in the first half outside
of individual efforts from Rinsola Babajide. The second half was
much better, especially after the introduction of Jess Clarke.
Clarke did a nice job of dropping a little deeper to combine with
the midfielders, and it created some more space for Rachel Furness
to run into. It was all undone by really lackadaisical play in the
back, unfortunately. Liverpool still seem to lack any real identity
as a team.

Liverpool travel to take on the London Bees next Saturday at The
Hive stadium (seriously).