Report: United Women 1 Liverpool 0

Manchester United made it three wins in a row across all competitions in Saturday's 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the Barclays Women’s Super League.

Fresh from Wednesday’s 5-1 win over Durham in the Subway Players Cup, Eva Olid made eight changes to the team that began in the north east, but kept the same starting XI from last weekend’s league victory against West Ham in Leigh.

Julia Zigiotti scored the only goal of the game at the Progress With Unity Stadium, with the result also marking a well-deserved first clean sheet of the campaign.

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FIRST HALF - JULIA SCORES SUPERB GOAL

On this, the occasion of our 250th competitive fixture since reforming in 2018, it was a fast start from United, keeping Liverpool pinned into their own half in the opening stages.

That early pressure was then rewarded with the opening goal in the sixth minute. Elisabeth Terland closing down Khiara Keating hurried the Liverpool goalkeeper into a stray pass straight to Zigiotti. Advancing a few steps with the ball and sensing the opportunity 20 yards from goal, Julia lofted it over the head of a stranded Keating into the back of the net.

United were in the ascendancy but Liverpool sent a warning sign nearing the midway point of the first half, when Phallon Tullis-Joyce made an outstanding double save to first deny Cornelia Kapocs and then springing up to parry Beata Olsson’s rebound.

The Reds took to the pitch for the 250th time.

Liverpool took some confidence from that moment and gained a foothold in the game. But United soon had a penalty appeal waved away at the half-hour mark, when Jess Park’s cross from the right struck the arm of Kapocs.

Park had the visitors on the backfoot again only moments later, cutting inside from the right and striking a sweet left-footed shot from 20 yards out that cannoned back off the bar. Andrea Medina pounced on the rebound, with Keating parrying her attempt behind for a corner.

Liverpool quickly responded and Tullis-Joyce made another save towards the end of the half when Olsson took a low shot towards the near post. Lightning-quick reflexes allowed Phallon to get down low to her right and turn the ball away. With both goalkeepers busy, a one-on-one save from Keating to deny Medina in first-half stoppage time kept United’s lead at the break at one.

United worked hard for the result.

SECOND HALF - UNITED SEE OUT THREE POINTS

Medina almost made a flying start to the second 45, too. A better contact with the ball after taking up a promising position on the left-hand side of the Liverpool box might have given Keating a problem. Unfortunately, she was withdrawn a few minutes later, appearing to still be feeling the effects of a knock during the first half. Mared Griffiths, making her home WSL debut in the process, was the player Olid turned to, and was close to an instant impact when a cross from the right flank just too far in front of the young winger at the far post.

An hour in, Hanna Lundkvist anticipated danger and was in the right place at the right time in the six-yard box to prevent a Liverpool cross being turned in. Jenna Clark also had a header blocked. In between those moments Liverpool had their own well-placed defending to thank, when Anna Sandberg’s in-swinging corner was headed behind as it threatened to creep in.

Liverpool spent the final 20 minutes in search of an equaliser. Alice Bergstrom fired high and wide from a good position, while Tullis-Joyce ended the contest in dominant fashion, claiming two high balls into the box both aimed at Olsson, and keeping hold despite contact from the forward. Our no.91 also gathered a shot from substitute Marie Hobinger.

But it was far from back to the wall for United either. A Zigiotti shot aimed towards the far post in the closing final quarter of the game, while a first-time through ball from Ziggy saw Terland force a diving save from Keating.

The domestic schedule will now pause for this month’s international break, but the Reds will be back in action on Sunday 18 October, travelling south to newly promoted Charlton Athletic in the WSL.

It was a dominant end to the game for Phallon.

MATCH DETAILS

United: Tullis-Joyce; Lundkvist, Le Tissier (c), Janssen, Sandberg; Miyazawa, Zigiotti; Park, Toone (Awujo 67), Medina (Griffiths 52); Terland (Schuller 81).

Subs not used: Leitzig, Hill, Simpson, Bernal, Jusu Bah, Wangerheim.

Goal: Zigiotti 6.

Booked: Medina, Awujo.

Liverpool: Keating, Kerr, Clark, Fisk (c), Bernabe; Nagano, MacLean (Hobinger 58); Bergstrom (Enderby 84), Ramos (Itamura 77), Kapocs; Olsson.

Subs not used: Kirby, McDonald, Woodham, Breen, Shaw, Trueman.

Booked: Ramos, MacLean.

Attendance: 3,416.