Derby Cup Clash Ends in Draw
Liverpool Ladies could only manage a 1-1 draw in the hotly anticipated Continental Cup clash with local rivals Everton in front of the ESPN cameras and a crowd of 1,432 in their first competitive game at Halton Stadium.
A Louise Fors penalty and a late Nikita Parris header proved enough to determine the outcome of this group 2 game.
Despite being played in freezing conditions, the fiery nature of this tie was obvious from the start, when a coming together of Natasha Dowie and former teammate Jill Scott lead to the booking of the Blues’ Toni Duggan, who was not happy with referee Sian Massey’s decision not to award a foul Everton’s way.
Liverpool almost broke the deadlock after just five minutes when Katrin Ormasdottir found space in the Everton box only to be closed down by Blue’s keeper Rachel Brown who stayed alert in the Arctic conditions to smother the Icelandic International’s shot. Not long after it was Everton who came closest to scoring, when Toni Duggan’s header from a corner was cleared off the line by Corina Schroder.
Just 20 minutes in, Matt Beard was forced into a substitution when Lucy Bronze injured her knee, and she was replaced by Becky Easton in the full-back position. Liverpool failed to let the substitute disrupt their attacking play and surged forward, with a long-range shot from Louise Fors drifting wide of the post.
Natasha Dowie showed her sheer pace down the flanks when she breezed past the Everton defence but her final ball in was cleared for a corner by former Reds Skipper Vicky Jones.
Liverpool failed to capitalise from the corner and Everton regained possession and broke quickly, but the Reds defence hurriedly backtracked only to see Jill Scott’s cross soar over Sarah Quantrill’s bar.
But the biggest talking point of the half came when Nicole Rolser broke free of the Everton defence and latched onto a perfectly weighted pass, only to be brought down by Lindsay Johnson. Although there were calls for a red card, Sian Massey let the Blue’s defender off with a caution.
From the resulting free-kick Liverpool piled on the pressure but were denied the opening goal by a string of superb saves by Rachel Brown. The keeper parried clear a shot from Fara Williams before regaining her feet to keep out the follow up effort.
Second Half
Liverpool started brightly and forced an early corner, only to see it be punched clear by Brown, who then collided with her teammate Brooke Chaplin in her efforts. The Everton keeper was to the rescue again not long after, when Natasha Dowie’s toe-poked effort was saved after she picked up a cross from Flors and shot at goal.
But not long into the half Gemma Bonner picked up a knock after colliding with the studs of Nikita Parris’ boots when attempting to clear, but the skipper managed to continue and play was restarted at the feet of Quantrill.
Matt Beard opted for a second change in the 70th minute, this time unforced, when Lillie Fenlon-Billson replaced Amanda da Costa to add a further element of pace going forward.
The opening goal came in the form of a penalty, when Brown collided into Natasha Dowie, after a poor backpass from Alex Greenwood put her keeper under pressure. Sian Massey conferred with her assistant before confirming her decision. The pressure was on Swedish international Louise Fors to convert, and she managed to squeeze the ball just inside of the left post, past a sprawling Brown who managed a to get a hand to the effort but failed to keep it out.
Everton almost levelled just four minutes after the goal, but Toni Duggans effort drifted just high of the Liverpool goal. With just four minutes of normal time left to play Everton managed to break through the Liverpool defence and claim a goal of their own, when Nikita Parris headed into the far corner from a free-kick, following a foul by Whitney Engen just outside the Liverpool box.
Despite a late surge from the Reds into the 4 minutes of extra time, Parris’ equaliser proved pivotal as the tie ended a 1-1 draw.
By Mitch Francis - liverpoolladiesfc.comLiverpool: Quantrill; Engin, Williams, Bonner ©, Bronze Omarsottir, Dowie, Fors, Rolser, Da Costa, Schroder.
Subs: Gibbons, Brusell, Easton, Holbrook, Ince, Fenlon-Billson, Riccio.
Everton: Brown; Jones, Greenwood, Nelson, Johnson,Scott©, Duggan, Hinnigan, Chaplen, Parris, Kane.
Subs: Handley, Durack, Williams, Whipp, Boye-Hlorkah.
