Match reportLFC Women close out pre-season in St Helens with Everton draw

The Reds and the Blues came together to bring to a close their 2024-25 pre-season preparations ahead of the Barclays Women’s Super League kick-off next weekend.

Despite a range of chances for both teams, there was to be no winner on the day with the two outfits unable to be separated in a competitive contest.

The opening exchanges passed without real incident, with Everton edging the early play between the two teams.

Gemma Evans was required to provide a decisive intervention down the left flank, while Jenna Clark and Gemma Bonner were proving their importance in the centre of defence with a number of clearances.

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The Reds, however, worked the first opportunity of the afternoon thanks to a combination between Sophie Roman Haug and Cornelia Kapocs.

The latter found the former with a clever flick-on, as Roman Haug collected the ball outside the box to shoot a low driven effort past the post from the edge of the area.

Both teams continued to battle and largely cancelled each other out, though it was Liverpool who finished the half the stronger of the two.

A succession of corners eventually led to Marie Höbinger’s delivery finding the head of Bonner, but her downward effort was well saved by goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan.

Liverpool introduced Jasmine Matthews and Mia Enderby at the half-time interval in response.

Ceri Holland first curled an effort over the bar to start the second half having received a cutback from Taylor Hinds from the left, before Everton enjoyed a spell of pressure themselves.

Goalkeeper Rachael Laws was forced into her first action of the match, pushing away a Karoline Olesen effort ahead of Karen Holmgaard shooting wide of the mark.

The Reds had the ball in the back of the net on the hour but they were denied by a raised offside flag.

Enderby was deemed to have set off early in her bid to get on the end of a Höbinger ball through as the assistant chalked off her prodded finish from inside the area.

The forward was again denied a short while later from close range as she attempted to capitalise on a defensive mix-up, seeing another low effort saved ahead of a third shot that flew wide of the target.

As both sides pressed for a winner, Yana Daniels went closest with a header from inside the six-yard box but the substitute’s effort was held by Brosnan.

Attendance: 3,485

TEAM

Liverpool FC Women: Laws, Parry (Daniels, 62), Clark (Silcock, 71), Bonner (Fahey, 69), Evans (Matthews, 46), Hinds, Nagano (Lundgaard, 62), Holland, Höbinger, Kapocs (Enderby, 46), Roman H. (Kiernan, 69).

NEXT UP

The Reds begin the new WSL season by hosting Leicester City next Sunday (September 22), kick-off 2pm BST.

Tickets for the game can be purchased online here.