A 10-man Liverpool side beat rivals Everton 3-2 in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park to move to eight points clear of the Women’s Super League relegation zone.
Gareth Taylor’s side got off to a strong start and deservedly took the lead when Seri Holland calmly converted a penalty after receiving a clear hand from Everton’s Inma Gaballo (11 points).
Everton struggled to cope with the intensity of their rivals in the first half and fell further behind after nine minutes when Martina Fernandes headed Alejandra Bernabe’s cross from the left past the hapless Courtney Brosnan, 20.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
A brilliant run and finish from the Netherlands gave them a 3-0 win over Liverpool before half-time.
Scott Phelan’s side improved before the break, but were unable to halve the gap and found themselves three points down (41) just when the result seemed to be beyond doubt with the Netherlands producing a superb run and finish that silenced the home crowd.
However, Everton hit back 19 minutes into the second half when Aurora Galli’s free-kick was deflected, and Liverpool captain Grace Fisk received a second yellow card for tripping Zara Kramsaal, 66, giving Everton a boost.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Immediately after Everton’s goal, Fisk was shown a second yellow card following retaliation from Kramsahl’s barge.
Kramsaal hit the crossbar from close range first, and in stoppage time (90+1) he overtook Jennifer Falk to create a tense finale, but Liverpool held on and claimed their first away league win of the season.
With this victory, they now have 17 points with three games remaining. West Ham are further behind on 12 points with one game remaining, while bottom of the table Leicester are on nine points with two games remaining. Everton remain in sixth place, just three points behind their local rivals.
