Reaction'A really positive three points' - Matthews and Holland on win at Crystal Palace

The Amber Whiteley-led Reds only had one goal to show for their control of the Barclays Women's Super League affair in south London – but it was enough to clinch the points.

Matthews was the match-winner with her 10th-minute finish following a corner kick, making it a perfect return for the defender from a lengthy injury absence.

The afternoon was also a special one for Holland, who took her appearance tally with the club to 100.

Read on for the post-match thoughts of the duo…

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Matthews

On scoring the goal...

I was pretty shocked, I didn't even know what to do! I don't think I've scored this year, so I just put my hands up in the air and was like, 'Yes, I've scored!' It was great to be back, 45 minutes under the belt. It's always tough being injured but I think being back is a great feeling and [getting] three points most importantly.

On playing 45 minutes...

Amber spoke to me during the week and she just said, 'If you're happy and the medical staff are happy, are you good with 45?' I was over the moon with that. It was just managing my minutes, building up slowly.

On a change of system...

It was different. Obviously with five [at the back], there's a bit more security. Seeing as that's the first time we've played it under Amber, I think we did really well. We had two sessions on it, so it can only get better. It was really pleasing to see how it worked.

On Matt Beard's departure...

When we got told, the first thing I did after training was to give him a ring just to say how thankful I am for what he's done for me personally and for the club. He'll definitely be missed and I wish him all the best in the future. With Amber, she's come and got three points straight away, so it's really exciting.

Holland

On the performance at Palace...

I thought we controlled the game really well. Obviously they had some opportunities in the second half but I think as a whole we got the ball down, played some really nice, good football. It's a really positive three points.

On making her 100th appearance for Liverpool...

It means everything. You can see every time I wear the shirt how much it means to represent this club. I can't really believe it's 100 appearances already – it's really flown by. It was a special moment and it was nice for the staff and the girls to acknowledge it there at the end. I feel really at home here.

On looking to climb the WSL table...

Obviously it's not been the season maybe we hoped for but it's really important that now we kick on. Sixth place, fifth place, fourth place, we've got to continue to push and push our standards every single day. We'll push all the way until the end of the season.

On facing Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the Adobe Women's FA Cup this coming weekend...

Really looking forward to it. I love playing in the FA Cup. If you can't get excited for that one then you're in the wrong place.