The Reds produced a stellar performance to get the better of Manchester United
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LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MARCH 14: Olivia Smith of Liverpool celebrates scoring her team's third goal with team mates during the Barclays Women's Super League match between Liverpool FC and Manchester Untied at Anfield on March 14, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jess Hornby/Getty Images)
Liverpool vs Manchester United is usually one of the biggest matches in the football calendar, but tonight under the floodlights and a full moon, it felt like an even bigger occasion and a night to remember for Liverpool fans.
If the pre-match music from the band walking Anfield’s parameter and DJ and light show inside the stadium wasn’t already a big clue as to how all-out Liverpool were going for their first under the lights fixture at the iconic stadium, then nothing else would.
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As Amber Whiteley took her place in the dugout, the players walked out to You’ll Never Walk Alone, and the Kop alive with the famous flags and scarves, you just knew this was truly going to be a monumental night.
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The stadium fell silent shortly before kick off for a beautifully observed one minute silence in memory of 10-year-old Poppy Atkinson who died while she was playing football after a car crashed onto the field she was playing on in Cumbria last week, and it was clear that no matter the fixture or result tonight, there were more important things than football in this moment.
Despite a turnaround in recent performances with interim boss Amber Whiteley in charge, it was clear the Reds faced an uphill battle as the team news dropped an hour before kick off, as they were without four key players through illness.
Ceri Holland, Grace Fisk, Gemma Bonner and Lianne Kiernan were all absent, but it proved how confident they are right now as it didn’t stop the in-form Reds.
The Kop were behind the team all night, with the signature flags and scarves displayed before kick off, and fans vocalising their support throughout the game, proving that while the atmosphere on a usual men’s matchday is phenomenal, the women’s game is not far behind here at Liverpool.
As Rachel Laws went down for treatment in the 28th minute, a rendition of Allez Allez Allez rang around Anfield, something so many football fans dream of hearing, and it’s an incredible feat from these supporters to create that atmosphere.
Experiencing this Anfield atmosphere on some scale will be etched in thousands more memories.
Ahead of the game, club legend Gemma Bonner said: “When you play in this league, it's tough and you're playing against top teams. We've got to go in full of confidence.
“I love playing in the night games. I think the atmosphere is so good and have obviously been to a few night games on the men's side. You really kind of feel the atmosphere building up, and I think I'd love to get as many people as we can out to support us.
“I think being a fan myself, I know how much it means to come and support and I think for me playing on the pitch, it would mean the world to have so many people here out supporting us. Especially with it being a big weekend for the club as well.”
However it wasn’t written in the stars for her to play under the Anfield lights as she was one of four players absent from the squad due to illness, so she will have to wait a little longer.
Out of their previous ten meetings, Manchester United defeated Liverpool seven times, but it was Liverpool’s night under the Anfield lights.
It took 42 minutes for Liverpool to even get a touch in United’s box, and it turned out to be the first goal of the evening scored by Olivia Smith who slipped past all of United’s defence and took a shot from the side of the box to curl it into the bottom corner.
It was Smith who continued to run the show, scoring Liverpool’s first of the night and even being involved in the build up for their second. Dancing through United’s defence and sprinting down the right side she has said she prefers, now we know why, Smith dominated the Liverpool attack and to be quite frank, it's just her world and we're all living in it right now.
After being substituted off in the 84th minute for Mia Enderby, the standing ovation said it all about this young player in a Liverpool shirt. As did the hundreds of posts on social media after the game.
Despite such a historic night for the women, it was just that one player everybody was talking about online, the aura she carried and how genuinely happy the fans are for her. The beaming smile up to her family after that penalty in front of the Kop shows the love is mutual.
"We've had a massive boost in confidence," said Smith afterwards when asked what influence Whiteley has had on the team.
"That goes with her just giving us more clarity on our roles, switching the formation, allowing us to be ourselves and bringing out our individual qualities.
"I think we're on the right track. We just have to keep our momentum and stay sharp. It just felt unreal for me. I'm still in shock now.
"I haven't really processed it fully, but definitely super happy to celebrate with my team-mates."
On the milestone Anfield win, Whiteley said: “I’m so happy for the fans. They have been waiting for that. We want to play football that the fans can get behind and be proud of. We did that tonight with two brilliant goals in the first half, some really good football and good defending in the second half.”
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Whiteley took over from Matt Beard at the end of last month when he was relieved of his duties, and under her stewardship the Reds continue to grow in confidence - even despite missing four of their key players on the night.
This result just adds to the recent success and ‘new manager bounce back’ as they look ahead to an historic FA Cup semi-final.
It’s a good time to be a Red.