Photoby Lewis Storey/Getty Images
Okay but seriously, this is wonderful
Well, how about those Reds, eh? Liverpool Women — a team that’s been slowly rebuilding
itself (still without the requisite resources to do so, please
remember) — came back from 1-0 down to defeat Manchester
United Women 3-1 in today’s Continental Cup group match. If you
hadn’t been watching Liverpool over the past few months, you may
have ended up surprised at just how tight the squad was and how
well they created (and finished!) chances, something that has been
missing from their game for a while.
The first half saw both teams in relatively strong positions,
with Tobin Heath seeing an excellent effort saved by Rylee Foster.
United went up on the board first with a goal that some (me
included) may argue was offside, but Liverpool equalised within
five minutes when Ross handled the ball in the United box and
Furness managed to score her fifth of the season from the spot.
The second half saw a few more excellent opportunities for
United very quickly shut down by the defense and keeper (ha,
remember that Liverpool Men fans?) before Jess Clarke beautifully
drew another penalty which substitute Rinsola Babajide converted
with ease. And then, just when things couldn’t get much better,
Furness scored a perfect header to take the Reds up 3-1.
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It’s hard to do justice to how cohesive Liverpool looked on the
pitch, and just how wonderful it is to write about such a deserved
win on their part. The team has now seen a clear stretch of wins
and very well fought draws in both the Championship and the Conti
Cup, and it looks like Jepson’s attestation of just how important those
wins have been for morale was spot on. Liverpool are currently
sat at the top of the most difficult group in the Cup and that’s
surely not hurting team morale, either.
Liverpool will meet Manchester
City for the next group game on November 4, while United will
face Everton on the same day.