View: 3/10 stinks, 9/10 Smith shines – Liverpool Women player ratings v Manchester City
Matt Beard will be kicking himself as Liverpool Women threw away a golden opportunity in the 2-1 loss against Manchester City on Sunday (13 October).
Olivia Smith gave the Reds the lead late into the first half with a spectacular long-range strike and looked the more dangerous of the sides at Anfield.
Khadija Shaw restored the contest to level terms with her header beating Rachel Laws in the second half as Liverpool missed a golden opportunity to gain a valuable three points in the Women’s Super League.
Shaw made the hosts pay for several missed opportunities with a gut-wrenching 94th-minute winner.
Here’s how Liverpool News rated each player out of 10 at Anfield.
Liverpool Women lose 2-1 to Manchester City
Rachael Laws – 5
Laws will be disappointed she failed to deal with Shaw’s header. Manchester City struggled to create openings throughout the 90 minutes and needed to rely on a moment of luck before eventually sealing the victory.
Lucy Parry – 6
A fairly unnoteworthy performance from the right-back she did her job defensively but not much else.
Jenna Clark – 6
Clark barely put a foot wrong against Manchester City. The centre-back was always on hand to rid the danger from the penalty area.
Gemma Bonner [off for Niamh Fahey 80′] – 7
Bonner was the standout in the Reds defence. She held her ground against Shaw and dealt with everything that came her way. She, alongside Smith, left the pitch with fresh injury concerns.
Jasmine Matthews – 6
Another of the Reds’ defence who did her job but not much else. She struggled to deal with the Manchester City attack but was helped by Clark and Bonner in central defence.
Taylor Hinds – 6
Hinds caused issues for Manchester City down the left flank but failed to make the most of the opportunities, sloppily giving away possession on several occasions. But defensively, Hinds held her own against one of the WSL’s best attacks.
Matt Beard will rue missed chances again for Liverpool Women
Marie Hobinger – 7
Hobinger had another lively afternoon at Anfield. Her runs through the middle of the pitch frustrated the visitors, and her passing was top-notch.
Fuka Nagano – 6
Nagano was solid in the middle of the pitch alongside Hobinger, winning the midfield duel for the majority of the contest. The Japanese international lost control of the midfield in the latter stages of the match.
Olivia Smith [off for Mia Enderby 45′] – 9
Beard will face a nervous wait to learn the extent of Smith’s injury as she was removed at half-time for Mia Enderby. The 20-year-old was sensational at Anfield, giving her side the lead with an audacious long-range strike and was a headache for the opposition from the right flank.
Sophie Roman Haug – 8
Haug was the key to all of the Reds’ play at Anfield and assisted Smith to give her side the lead in the first half. The Norwegian did everything except get on the scoresheet herself.
Cornelia Kapocs [off for Leanne Kiernan 80′] – 3
Kapocs failed to register a single shot at Anfield and looked lost for ideas on how to handle the opposition defence in a poor outing for the Swedish forward.
Substitutions:
Mia Enderby – 5
Another Liverpool forward who failed to register a shot at Anfield, Enderby was non-existent when replacing Smith for the second half.
Niamh Fahey – N/A
Leanne Kiernan – N/A
In other Liverpool news, the Reds plot a move for a former Manchester United player.
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