LIVERPOOL LADIES extended their unbeaten run in the FA Women’s
Super League on Saturday evening with a 1-0 win over bottom-placed side
Doncaster Rovers Belles.
The plucky Belles have now played 9 league games without a
win, yet have 3 games in hand over Sunderland who sit 6 points above them – and
play the North East club on Thursday.
The Reds made a blistering start to proceedings in Widnes,
the only change to the 11 that featured in the last-minute Cup defeat to
Birmingham seeing Emma Lundh come in for Katie Zelem; the no.9 slotting
seamlessly into the attacking 3 alongside Natasha Harding and Shanice Van De
Sanden.
Caroline Weir played just ahead of Laura Coombs and Kate
Longhurst in the middle, with the latter providing cover for the back line of
Satara Murray, Gemma Bonner, Sophie Ingle and Mandy Van Den Berg – Siobhan Chamberlain
in goal.
For the opening 45 minutes in Widnes Liverpool threw
everything at the Belles.
Every play building from the back with the first attack
forged when Van Den Berg intercepted a pass, finding Coombs who sprayed the
ball wide to Harding.
Harding in turn picked out Weir, who looked to have stumbled
and lost the ball yet recovered well to produce an impressive turn on the edge
of the box however unfortunately fired her cross at goalkeeper Nicola Hobbs.
Hobbs was the star of the first half, twice denying the energetic
Van De Sanden – first with her foot after the Dutch winger was set up by Lundh
and then bravely off her line to stop Van De Sanden at point blank range.
Liverpool also peppered the Doncaster goal with shots from a
series of corners midway through the half; Hobbs tipping an Ingle header over
the crossbar, Harding prodding the ball from close range yet seeing it
deflected wide and Van De Sanden firing over.
The corners were punctured by a first Doncaster chance of
the game, this falling to former Liverpool and two-time title winning
midfielder Katrin Omarsdottir, playing up front here for the Belles, who sent a
left footed hit wide of the post.
Following this it was back to the other end of the pitch.
Liverpool changing tactics on a corner and having Weir and Coombs play a quick
one-two for Weir to cut in and shoot narrowly over from the corner of the area.
Before the half time whistle Omarsdottir went closest to
breaking the deadlock, Liverpool initially looked to have cleared from the danger
only for a sneaky through ball to worm its way back through the Reds defence.
Omarsdottir was quick to pounce yet Chamberlain was quicker
to react, diving to push the ball clear and preserve her clean sheet.
With the final move of the half Harding received the ball
inside the Doncaster box with her back to goal and closely marked by a defender;
she held the ball well to allow for Lundh arriving only for the no.9’s effort
to be blocked.
Barely two minutes into the second half and Liverpool broke
the deadlock.
Harding finding herself in space 20 yards from goal and
lifting a perfectly weighted shot across the face of goal and into the back of
the net, the Welsh vice-captain has been a stand out for Liverpool in the second
half of the season and the goal capped another good performance.
The Reds had plenty of opportunities to double the
advantage, a fierce ball in from the right was parried away by Hobbs and the
resulting corner met by the head of Murray but stopped from crossing the line a
yard from goal.
Substitute Katie Zelem was unlucky to watch her set piece
float inches wide while Doncaster themselves threatened from a free kick,
Leandra Little rising highest to nod the ball into the safe hands of Chamberlain
who held it well on the line.
Liverpool’s Murray was kept busy throughout by Omarsdottir
on the right, shielding the ball out for a corner early in the second half and
winning her battles with the Doncaster no.7.
One of the Reds biggest chances to score a second came when
Murray read a Doncaster move superbly to come and steal the ball on the half
way line, the midfielder given no chance and Murray having the time to look up
and clip a placed pass into the path of Lundh – her shot blocked by a defender.
Into the final minutes of the game Harding came agonisingly
close to converting Zelem’s cross and a Doncaster ball that flashed across the
face of goal was again held well by Chamberlain.
Liverpool have now gone 7 games unbeaten in the league –
keeping an impressive 5 clean sheets, conceding only twice and scoring 10. The
Reds have just 4 games to play in their 2016 FAWSL campaign and sit a point
from 4th.
Scott Rogers’ side now go on the road with away ties at
Reading, Birmingham and Doncaster, before a final home game against Arsenal on
Sunday, November 6th.
LIVERPOOL LADIES:
Chamberlain, Murray, Bonner ©, Ingle, Van Den Berg, Longhurst, Coombs, Weir,
Van De Sanden, Harding, Lundh
PLAYER OF THE MATCH:
Satara Murray/ Natasha Harding
