ReactionMatt Beard's verdict on win at Brighton: 'We were worthy of the three points'

Ceri Holland's 53rd-minute finish was enough to see the Reds leave Broadfield Stadium with the victory in the Barclays Women's Super League.

The match-winner was sent off in stoppage time for a second yellow card but the visitors held on to put themselves two points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester United in the standings.

Read on for Beard's post-match interview with Sky Sports…

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On his relief at the final whistle...

Of course, because obviously going down to 10 players and Brighton made changes. I thought we defended really, really well. I thought we deserved our lead, could have had a few in the first half as well, especially off the set-plays. But I think we were worthy of the three points today.

On the qualities his players displayed to secure the win...

We knew they would overplay at the back and I felt we forced them into a lot of turnovers, especially in the first half. Obviously the goal came from that as well. I was just pleased with the way we saw the game out in the end. I thought we defended the box well – first contact, second contact. Brighton were always going to have a passage of play in the game. They were really tough conditions, so we're really pleased.

On how pleased he was with Liverpool's set-pieces...

In both boxes. I think we could have maybe scored off two in the first half from around corners. For the most part of the season, we've defended really, really well and we've had the odd blip here and there. But we were really pleased with our defensive performance today.

On Holland's sending-off for two bookable offences...

The first one, in my opinion, is a great tackle. I haven't seen it back yet but from my angle she's got her body around and won the ball. I just think the referee needs to understand the state of the game on that second one. There was no malice in the tackle. We're in the 94th minute, whatever we are, and it's a heavy pitch and I don't think it really warranted a yellow card. I think Brighton got away with a lot today tackle-wise and we didn't really get the rub of the green on that. So, I felt it was harsh.

On the importance of going into the international break on the back of a win...

It is, especially on an international break. The clean sheet was important for us as well. We had one last week and another one again today. It just means that we can all go away with smiles on our faces. We wish all the international players good luck on international duty and then we'll keep the other ones topped up while we're still in.