Manchester United suffered their first Barclays Women’s Super League defeat of 2025 as Liverpool stormed to a 3-1 win under the Friday night lights at Anfield. A brace from Olivia Smith and well taken finish from Fūka Nagano gave the Reds an unassailable lead, with Maya Le Tissier’s last minute intervention a mere consolation.
The Lineups
LIV: Laws, Bernabé, Clark, Matthews, Hinds, Kerr, Nagano, Höbinger, Kapocs, Smith, Román Haug
MNU: Tullis-Joyce, George, Le Tissier, Turner, Riviere, Janssen, Toone, Clinton, Galton, Bizet, Terland,
The Action
For 40 minutes, there was little action to speak of. As has been the norm for Man United this season, the possession was controlled, but with little threat to show of it. Despite the absence of Gemma Bonner, Liverpool’s rearguard of Jenna Clark and Jasmine Matthews were comfortable with sitting deep and giving the Red Devils plenty of territory.
That being said, comfort can also lead to complacency. A wayward pass out by Matthews was picked off by Celine Bizet, who was able to catch the Liverpool defence in transition and break onto the box. Her shot from the angle was destined for the bottom corner, but Rachel Laws was equal to it, getting a strong right hand to the ball to tip it behind. Laws was called into action again shortly after, saving a Gabby George header at point blank range, and tipping a Grace Clinton effort from range over the bar. These sparks were few and far between for United. For all of Man United’s dominance, they had nothing to show for their efforts. And with five minutes until the break, Liverpool exploited their oppositions lacking potency in attack with two devastating sucker-punches.
There seemed little threat on offer when Nagano picked up the ball on the right touchline as the first half approached it’s conclusion. But a scorching run from Smith opened up space on the left side of Man United’s defence and Nagano was more than happy to open the door for her with a well weighted pass. Clinton failed to track the run as Smith left her for dust, and Millie Turner afforded her too much room in the box to take the shot from the angle. It should have still been a routine save, but Phallon Tullis-Joyce contrived to allow the effort to squirm through her gloves and into the net, giving Liverpool a lead against the run of play.
Suddenly, from looking in control and comfortable, United were rattled and Liverpool smelt blood. With a panicked defence in full retreat, Cornelia Kapocs was given the freedom to bear down on goal, and launch a rocket that Tullis-Joyce did well to save this time but that was merely a stay of execution.
With half time imminent and United over-committed at an attacking corner, they left the backdoor open for the counter-attack. A smart bit of play from Olivia Smith gave her room to send Samantha Kerr on a final raid into enemy territory with no defenders beyond her. United desperately tried to get the numbers back, but Kerr found Nagano in the penalty area with the cross, and the Japanese international swept it home first time to give Liverpool a 2-0 lead going into the break.
If the away fans were expecting an energetic response from the Red Devils in the second half to try to rectify the situation, they would have been left sorely disappointed. Leah Galton’s attempts to reach Clinton’s deep cross was the summation of their best efforts. And whilst they continued to toil in attack, Liverpool remained alert to any potential opportunities to land the finishing blow. Smith and Jenna Clark both had penalty shouts turned down, but on 65 minutes, they finally got their call.
Alejandra Bernabé was able to burst past Jayde Riviere with all to much ease, and in her desperation to quell the danger, the defender slid in brought down the Spaniard in the box, the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Up stepped Smith, who calmly sent Tullis-Joyce the wrong way and sent the home support into dreamland.
Marc Skinner responded with a drastic triple substitution, bringing on Aofie Mannion, Hinata Miyazawa and Rachel Williams. It had little impact, the Liverpool defence remained unfazed despite the changes, just as it had been from the start of the game. United simply did not have the answers to the defensive conundrum posed by Liverpool. Only on 89 minutes, when Nagano bizarrely abandoned her post on the edge of the box, were they finally able to get on the scoreboard. Captain Maya Le Tissier stormed into the vacated space and smashed the ball past Laws for a late consolation to take back home along the M62.
This was damaging defeat for Manchester United, and not just by losing the local bragging rights. A poor performance, a lacklustre attack, and an opportunity missed to take advantage of Chelsea playing in the Subway Women’s League Cup Final this weekend. Instead of closing the gap they drop to third, their defeat coupled with Arsenal’s 3-1 win at Everton sees the Gunners leapfrog them into second place on goal difference.
The Halfway Line Player Of The Match: Olivia Smith
Olivia Smith is the jewel in the Liverpool crown, and matches like this showcased just why Liverpool opted to break their transfer record on her last summer. A moment of individual brilliance to open the scoring, a visionary pass in the build up to the second, and composure personified to seal the win from the spot. A superb performance from the Canadian.
