Maya Le Tissier of Manchester United celebrates scoring his team's first goal with team mate Hinata Miyazawa during the Barclays Women's Super League match between Liverpool FC and Manchester Untied at Anfield on March 14, 2025 in Liverpool, England.Maya Le Tissier of Manchester United celebrates scoring his team's first goal with team mate Hinata Miyazawa during the Barclays Women's Super League match between Liverpool FC and Manchester Untied at Anfield on March 14, 2025 in Liverpool, England.
Maya Le Tissier of Manchester United celebrates scoring his team's first goal with team mate Hinata Miyazawa during the Barclays Women's Super League match between Liverpool FC and Manchester Untied at Anfield on March 14, 2025 in Liverpool, England. | Getty Images
Manchester United lost 3-1 to Liverpool at Anfield last week
Manchester United were left frustrated on Merseyside as Liverpool tasted victory at Anfield for the first time in the WSL with a 3-1 win over their rivals.
Under the guidance of interim coach Amber Whiteley, an Olivia Smith brace and one from Fuka Nagano saw the Reds end their run of defeats at the club’s spiritual home, despite having their numbers depleted ahead of the fixture due to illness.
With the visitors currently battling at the top end of the table, the loss to Liverpool will come as a blow on two fronts, with a late consolation from Maya Le Tissier being their only positive of the night.
Reflecting on the result, United head coach Marc Skinner said: “I wasn’t disappointed with the way we reacted (to the goals towards the end of the first half), we still had control. We were beaten on the counter attack - I’m disappointed in that detail.
“There are details in that counter attack which we could’ve easily controlled, and we’ve ducked out of it, which is something we need to fix.
“I wasn’t overly concerned with how we reacted, just the detail. I don’t want to take anything away from Liverpool, they’ve won the game 3-1, but I feel we gave them a leg up.
“It’s just individual moments, and they took them; we didn’t.
“I didn’t feel it was down to playing at Anfield. They were excited to play here, and it’s something we want to grow the women’s game to do more often, but I don’t feel it was that, but I’ll assess whether it is, and if it is, then I’ll fix it.”
A misplaced pass at the back provided United with the first real opportunity of the evening, with Celine Bizet forcing Rachael Laws into a fingertip save to push the ball just wide of the back post.
The Reds keeper was called into action once again just after the half hour mark, this time stopping a close-range header from Gabby George.
While the attempt from the defender was pretty straightforward to deal with, a long-distance shot from Grace Clinton proved more challenging, and needed a slight touch to lift it over the crossbar.
After remaining resilient defensively throughout the first half, Liverpool made the most of a rare opportunity in the opposition box.
Smith made a superb run from the right wing, cutting inside, before curling a shot past Phallon Tullis-Joyce - with the United keeper letting the ball slip underneath her.
Cornelia Kapocs came close to quickly doubling the Reds’ lead, but her attempt from long-range was tipped over by the American keeper.
It wasn’t long after that Whiteley’s side did have their second, with Nagano curling a first-time shot into the bottom corner following a break down the left side from Sam Kerr in stoppage time.
Following the break, Liverpool had strong calls for a penalty waved away, after Smith was shoved over in the box by substitute Anna Sandberg.
After mainly defending during the opening 45 minutes, the Reds found themselves more on the front foot during the second half.
Kapocs found herself with a good opportunity on the break to extend the lead further, but couldn’t hit the target with the curled attempt from the edge of the box.
After having earlier calls for a spot kick waved away, Whitely’s side weren’t denied shortly after the hour mark, with Alejandra Bernabe tripped in the box.
Smith stepped up and made no mistake in beating Tullis-Joyce to claim her second goal of the evening.
Heading into the closing stages, United captain Le Tissier pulled one back from Skinner’s side, but it proved to just be a consolation.
Nothing could ultimately dent a night to remember for Liverpool Women, as they saw out an impressive victory.
“I’m just so proud of my team,” said interim coach Whiteley. “We prepared well this week, and they’ve gone out there and executed the game plan so well.
“I think we had to weather a storm in the first half, but the two goals just before the break gave us huge confidence. I thought we were brilliant in the second half, from start to finish.
“I’m so happy for the fans, they’ve been waiting for that. We want to play football the fans can be proud of, and I think we’ve done that tonight.”
Discussing being part of the history of being part of the first win at Anfield, Smith added: “It’s going to last forever. It’ll be a memory forever in my mind. I’ll remember these girls forever so it’ll always be there.”