Elsewhere in the WSL today …
A win for Liverpool would have meant they ended the weekend top of the table. In the end Manchester City have that honour.
I found it quite hard to keep a seven-month old from not crying when it was just the two of us, so in front of thousands of football fans must be quite tricky.
Toni Duggan brings baby Luella onto the pitch and the baby is very unhappy. Maybe she is a Liverpool fan.
Everton go to celebrate with their fans in the corner. They deserved their win today.
Full time: Liverpool 0-1 Everton
Liverpool’s perfect start is over thanks to Finnigan’s header. Liverpool were pretty flat throughout and Everton well-organised, taking their best chance to settle the match.
90+5 mins: Liverpool break in numbers and the ball reaches Flint on the edge of the box. She has time to set herself but her shot is always rising over.
90+4 mins: A dangerous cross is sent into the box but Payne just beats Lawley to the ball. Much to Liverpool’s chagrin, a goal kick is given.
90+2 mins: Everton are pressing here, leaving three people up to win the ball back inside the Liverpool box, which might be excessive.
90+1 mins: Everton are fuming with the referee as she fails to stop the game after Payne takes ball to the chin (or thereabouts). Brosnan comes out to rant at Byrne and is shown the yellow card.
90 mins: Lawley crosses into the box and Lundgaard volleys over.
Six minutes added on.
89 mins: Liverpool launch a free-kick into the box. Brosnan comes but gets nowhere near it. The ball eventually reaches Flint but she drags her shot well wide.
88 mins: Vanhaevermaet is booked for something or other.
87 mins: Payne runs into space down the right to collect a ball over the top. She takes her time before aiming her cross for the middle but it misses everyone in a blue shirt and Liverpool escape.
85 mins: Snoeijs has another go after cutting in onto her left foot but this time it comes off the bar. Everton will not want to be left ruing that one …
83 mins: Duggan plays the ball through for Snoeijs, who takes a good touch to get it out of her feet before firing at goal but Laws is more than equal to it, palming the ball wide.
81 mins: Holland looks to get behind Payne but the defender recovers well and wins the ball back. Easy.
Liverpool send on Lundgaard for Hobinger.
79 mins: Liverpool look to break … but Holland passes the ball straight out of play. This really has been a sloppy performance.
The referee books Payne for timewasting from the throw-in.
77 mins: Hinds goes into the book for a foul on Holmgaard. It is a cynical one to stop the sub going through on goal.
The free-kick is not a bad one but goes just over Vanhaevermaet and out for a goal kick.
75 mins: Hinds aims a pass down the line to no one and it dribbles out for a goal kick. Liverpool are very short of ideas.
73 mins: Everton do not look particularly mithered by anything Liverpool are doing.
Holmgaard, Duggan and Olesen on, Bennison, Sorensen and Galli off.
70 mins: Everton are lining up some fresh legs. Duggan and two teammates are readying themselves on the sidelines.
In the meantime, Enderby gets a chance in the box but she gets no power behind her shot and Brosnan gobbles it up.
68 mins: There are appeals for a Liverpool penalty when Enderby goes down in the box. The sub chops back and gives the impression her leg is taken away from her by Wheeler. The replay shows it is a disgusting dive. It is genuinely pathetic and deserves to be booked. I am quite impressed by how bad it is.
66 mins: No immediate impact from the subs … the crowd and team are pretty flat.
63 mins: These changes really need to breathe new life into this Liverpool team because they have looked very flat for a long time.
Instead, a poor Laws clearance almost lets Everton in. There is essentially no composure within the Liverpool team at the moment.
61 mins: Matthews, Flint, Lawley and Enderby on. Bonner, Koivisto, Kearns and Haug off.
59 mins: Looks like Liverpool are lining up a quadruple change, which is pretty modern.
57 mins: Liverpool are not clicking at all and are struggling to cope with Everton’s pressure when trying to defend.
55 mins: Kearns is the latest to roll around on the deck but she is soon back up after a knock from Wheeler.
Another corner creates a chance for Everton as Vanhaevermaet heads inches wide. Liverpool are struggling with set-pieces.
Snoeijs is on for Bissell.
53 mins: Hobinger is down now. The physios are on to see if she can continue.
51 mins: Peter Oh tries to bring some culture to this blog: “At the risk of sounding too literary about the Everton goal, the Liverpool defence was left in Finnigan’s wake.”
We will have no more of it.
49 mins: It looks like she will be OK to continue, at least.
47 mins: Liverpool have started like they did in the first half by dominating possession. Sadly, Everton have had a similar start, too, with Vanhaevermaet on the deck after an ankle issue.
Second half
Here we go again!
Half-time reading …
Half time: Liverpool 0-1 Everton
It looked early on like Liverpool would dominate but Everton gradually grew into the match. Once Finnigan opened the scoring, Everton became the better team and Liverpool have been unable to match them.
45+2 mins: Everton go relatively direct for once, forcing Bonner to turn. Bissell chases her down and wins a throw-in well into the Liverpool half as Everton look to get to half time unscathed.
45 mins: Four minutes added on.
44 mins: Hobinger is the next person to attack down the left but Everton get across to her quickly to force another corner. It is low to the front post and eventually laid into Holland’s path but her shot is blocked.
41 mins: Hinds, who has been Liverpool’s most dangerous player, gets down the left once more but Payne matches her stride for stride and sends the ball out for a corner, which comes to nothing.
39 mins: Everton are looking more dangerous in the final third, making use of the space on either flank because Liverpool are keeping their wing-backs high.
37 mins: To think Everton came into this game without a point in their opening two games, while Liverpool had defeated two quality sides does not seem to add up. Everton now the dominant side.
35 mins: They have shown a few more replays of the opener and my lord is the defending poor? Haug, who in theory was marking Finnigan, had fallen asleep. You can’t do that from a corner.
33 mins: Liverpool will need to regroup and find a bit of fight because they have been flat for the past 10 to 15 minutes.
GOAL! Liverpool 0-1 Everton (Finnigan, 31)
Sorensen, the player, receives the ball in the box and cuts back onto her left foot before shooting. It looks like it is going in but Bonner dives to turn it behind. Everton do not have to wait long for the opener, however, as the resulting corner finds Finnigan unmarked at the back post and she heads through Laws arms.
Updated
30 mins: Everton’s head coach Brian Sorensen looks like he likes skateboarding; he looks around 20 years old in his hoody and cap, in addition to his ear piece.
28 mins: Everton are well-organised, resulting in Liverpool passing the ball back around 60 yards to Laws in goal. They need to speed this up.
26 mins: Finnigan shoves over Holland for little to no reason, gifting Liverpool a free-kick 30 yards from goal. Don’t worry Everton fans because Hobinger passes the set-piece straight to a blue shirt. Odd decision-making.
24 mins: That move has given Everton some confidence, who are knocking the ball pretty well and quicker than Liverpool.
22 mins: Everton make it into the Liverpool box for the first time. Sorensen darts into space and picks out Bissell 10 yards out but she takes her eye off the ball and misses a golden chance, allowing Liverpool to bundle it behind.
20 mins: Both teams are keen to pass it out from the back and take their time to build play. It would be useful if the passing was a bit quicker to get their opponents out of position.
18 mins: Liverpool are looking the far livelier of the two teams but their attacks seem to fall apart when they enter the final third.
Updated
16 mins: Liverpool are knocking it around quite nicely, they just need to be more incisive once they cross the halfway line.
14 mins: Sorensen dribbles the ball upfield and decides to shoot from 20 yards or so but her effort is deflected, allowing Laws to collect.
12 mins: Everton do not seem to have a plan for how they can play through Liverpool. It could be a long afternoon for them.
10 mins: Hinds drives into the box and gets the ball to Holland but Everton’s defence reacts quickly after a loose touch from the striker.
Kearns aims a cross into the box but it is stopped by Finnigan’s arm and a free-kick just outside the area is given.
8 mins: Liverpool have enjoyed all the possession. Everton can’t get the ball out of their half.
6 mins: OFF THE BAR! Some dreadful naivety from Payne, who takes possession facing her own goal and tries to run it out but is dispossessed by Holland. The Liverpool drives into the box and whacks a shot that is tipped onto the bar by Brosnan.
4 mins: NO GOAL! Almost an even worse start for Everton as Kearns taps home from a few yards out. Hinds crosses the ball to Kearns on the edge of the six-yard box and the forward does the rest. It is close but looks like she is inches off.
Wheeler replaces Hope.
2 mins: There is a large group of medical staff around Hope, who is helped to her feet before being helped off the pitch.
Updated
1 min: Hope twists her ankle within a few seconds of the match starting. She looks to be in agony on the pitch. What a terrible start to the match.
Kick off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
There is a pre-match guard of honour to celebrate Natasha Dowie, who played for both and recently retired.
It’s a clear and crisp day in Liverpool. Perfect for football.
Brian Sorensen says: “We are super excited. The girls are ready and we are really looking forward to it.
“We just need to go out and be as good as we were in the first two games, even though we didn’t get results.
“Against Arsenal they [Liverpool] were really impressive and again against Aston Villa.”
Updated
Took injury-time goals secured a mildly dramatic comeback win for Arsenal over Aston Villa.
Look who has arrived …
Matt Beard says: “We’ve had a real tough start, playing an Aston Villa team that broke into the top five of the WSL last year and who have signed a lot of quality players in the off-season, and then obviously beating a top team in Arsenal away.
“We’ve given ourselves a great platform to have a successful season but we’re also well aware that it’s only two games and there’s a lot of work still to do.”
Last night in the WSL …
Starting lineups
Liverpool: Laws, Koivisto, Clark, Fisk, Bonner, Hinds, Nagano, Holland, Lobinger, Kearns, Roman Haug
Subs: Micah, Matthews, Parry, Taylor, Lundgaard, Lawley, Daniels, Flint, Enderby
Everton: Brosnan, Veje, Bjorn, Vanhaevermaet, Bennison, Bissell, Sorensen, Hope, Payne, Finnigan, Galli
Subs: Ramsey, Campbell, Wheeler, Duggan, Snoeien, Holmgaard, Aherne, Olesen
Preamble
Liverpool have a perfect record in the Women’s Super League, albeit with only two games played. Those two victories have been impressive; they defeated Arsenal on the opening day of the campaign and saw off Aston Villa last week. Matt Beard’s side are yet to concede this season and a win at Anfield would see them end the day top of the table.
They will fancy their chances against Everton who are currently pointless in the league. The good news for the Toffees is that Toni Duggan scored win the League Cup in midweek having returned to action following the birth of her daughter earlier this year. If Everton are to leap up the table, they will need a fully firing Duggan to help them but they face a tricky task in the Merseyside derby today.
Kick-off: 4.30pm BST
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