ReactionGareth Taylor: We're frustrated but the forward steps are there to see
Gareth Taylor felt there were clear 'forward steps' on show from his Liverpool FC Women team despite the frustration of being held to a late draw against Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Reds took a first-half lead in Sunday's Barclays Women's Super League clash through Beata Olsson's finish and had also struck the crossbar twice before the interval.
Searching for their first points in the division this season, Taylor's side were restricted to one rather than three as Rosa Kafaji equalised three minutes into stoppage time.
The head coach assessed the encounter in a post-match interview with Sky Sports. Read a summary below...
On his reaction to the game...
Frustrated, obviously, in the 93rd minute I think it is, that we can't see it out. But I have to give great credit to the players, I thought they played to their maximum today. If you can't see from that performance today that we gave that we're taking forward steps, that's really hard to not see. The players are giving the maximum. We tried to influence it from the sidelines, we wanted to press Brighton because we felt if we stood off them a little bit they can really hurt you with their overloads in midfield. I felt that especially first half we did that really well. There'll come a point in the game for sure where we need reinforcements, we're trying to do it from the sidelines, but it has been tough.
On which areas he considered as forward steps...
The way we played, the football we played in the first half. I thought we were great. I thought Fuka [Nagano] controlled a lot of the play, Jenna Clark was very good on the front foot. Kappy [Cornelia Kapocs] did really well in there. We're making compromises and certain players are playing in maybe unfamiliar positions to what they've done previously. If you look at Kappy as an example, she's gone in and done excellently in midfield. I thought her, Sam [Kerr] and Fuka were good in the first half, controlled a lot of the play. We pressed really well, we limited them to very little in the first half. And then gradually obviously in the second half we've struggled to sustain that pressure so therefore we take a little bit of a step backwards at times, which is natural and that's where we just probably need a bit more support being able to influence from the sidelines.
On what was missing for Liverpool to clinch three points...
We've just got to see the game out, to be honest. That can happen in football, it's a cruel game. It would have been nice to really reinforce the good work we did today with three points. But for us it's our first point on the board, it's a step forward. I think when the dust settles we'll look back on this and actually go, 'Do you know what? The players played to their maximum, absolutely given everything they've got' and we'll probably see this as a very good point. In the circumstances when you play in the game - similar to [the defeat by] Man City as well because we know they're superior to us - it can be tough to take when it's late on like that.
On Olsson's second goal in as many games...
She's a player that plays on the front foot. She gives us that threat in behind with her pace, we know that she's going to press well. She's still getting used to this way of playing in the WSL and the level of it. Of course, she's had a long season already at Kristianstads. You have to remember it's a player who has completed a season and has now got to do another season straight on top of that with no break. She was a little bit [tired] at times because she put a lot of energy into the game. Really pleased for her to get another goal. I thought early on in the game she wasn't getting across the near [post] and the minute she does it, we score a goal.
- The Reds host Chelsea in St Helens next Sunday - ticket and travel details here