Match reportLiverpool earn Continental League Cup victory at Everton
Liverpool FC Women completed their Continental League Cup group-stage schedule with a 2-1 victory away at Everton Women on Wednesday night.
Sophie Roman Haug gave the Reds a fifth-minute lead over their neighbours with a precise finish and, having created a series of promising chances, Yana Daniels doubled their advantage in the second half.
Toni Duggan found the net for the hosts with one of the last kicks of the match but Matt Beard’s side – who already knew they could not progress to the knockout phase – claimed the bragging rights in their penultimate fixture of the calendar year.
Everton made a bright start in the earliest minutes at Walton Hall Park and Liverpool needed a good block from Jenna Clark when Duggan broke into the box and shot.
But it was the visitors who opened the scoring in the fifth minute.
Missy Bo Kearns’ corner kick from the right found Roman Haug in the centre and the Norway international produced an excellent cushioned finish inside the left post.
Roman Haug might have made it two soon after but her header from Lucy Parry’s cross was too close to home goalkeeper Emily Ramsey.
The Reds’ confidence was visibly rising in the aftermath of their goal, with the midfield snapping into challenges to keep the team on the front foot.
Just past the half-hour mark, they sprung Parry into space along the right flank and she served up an inch-perfect delivery for Roman Haug, whose looping header was tipped over by Ramsey.
Liverpool likely went into half-time disappointed not to be further ahead, with Leanne Kiernan slipping as she fired an effort too straight from Kearns’ pullback.
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And two minutes into added time, a misplaced Everton pass back towards their goalkeeper was cut out by Roman Haug, only for Ramsey to claw away the striker’s first-time hit.
The theme continued into the second half and the Blues ’keeper denied Clark’s glanced header from Kearns’ inswinging corner just four minutes after the restart.
But on 55, the second goal finally arrived.
This time it was a Kearns free-kick. The Scouser’s curler towards the top left corner was spilled by Ramsey as her momentum saw her collide with the post, and Daniels reacted fastest to convert the loose ball.
Everton battled back as they sought a response, though it was the Reds who continued to enjoy the clearer opportunities.
Ceri Holland was close but too high with a first-time volley after Kearns’ driven cross bounced off a defender, and Kiernan was then thwarted by substitute goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan having burst through from the halfway line to a one-v-one.
There was a string of great chances as time ebbed away, including Rachael Laws getting strong hands behind a 12-yard blast from Emma Bissell.
Duggan rasped a clinical consolation into the roof of the net nine minutes into stoppage time, but Liverpool had already done enough to clinch the victory.
TEAM
LFC Women: Laws, Parry, Clark (Koivisto, 81), Fisk (Bonner, 46), Daniels, Holland (Höbinger, 76), Kearns, Lundgaard, Kiernan, Lawley (Van de Sanden, 66), Roman H. (Hinds, 66).
Unused subs: Micah, Nagano.
NEXT UP
The Reds play their final match of 2023 on Sunday (December 17), travelling to Leigh Sports Village to face Manchester United.
It’s a 12.15pm GMT kick-off in the Barclays Women’s Super League.