Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion kicked off the first Women’s Super League weekend in 2025. At the start of the match Brighton was 5th in the table and Liverpool 8th. The home team was without head coach Matt Beard as he served a match ban after receiving three yellow cards. Read our match report on Liverpool vs Brighton & Hove Albion.
Rusty start to the first half
The Reds immediately put on the pressure in the first minutes but their break forward led to nothing. Brighton needed some time to get in the game but after ten minutes they had a good spell. Liverpool knew they had to stick to their shape and were very aware of every possibility to counter.
One of those counters from Liverpool resulted in Olivia Smith facing Carabalí down the right wing. Smith seemed to be fouled and went down to the ground. Physios came on to check out her right lower leg. She returned to play minutes later.
After twenty minutes it could have gone wrong for Liverpool. Evans passed to Teagan Micah to play it out from the back. The ball seemed out of play when it reached the goalkeeper, but the referee did not notice. Fisk was there to save the day when she picked up the ball in front of an open goal.
The Reds open the score
Goalkeeper Baggaley’s pass found one of her forwards, initiating a good attack for Brighton. Liverpool had eight players in the back in no time to retrieve the ball. When they did the counter was lightning-quick. Olivia Smith opened the score for Liverpool after a brilliant run down the right. Nagano sent her away with Bergsvand trying to hold her back the whole way, but Smith was way too fast.
The visitors answered immediately with a run from Seike into the penalty area. Her shot went wide but it set the tone for the rest of the first half. Both squads more motivated after a slow start to the game. Nikita Parris nearly equalized for the visitors. The cross into the box went through Evan’s her legs, landing with Parris. Micah prevented the Brighton forward from scoring.
Silent second half until the subs came on
Liverpool’s half time change saw Jenna Clark replacing Lucy Parry. There was not much to say about the first ten minutes of the second-half. Brighton’s head coach Dario Vidošic decided it was time for a change: Bruna and Cankovic made way for Haley and Symonds.
Mia Enderby and Leanne Kiernan came on for Liverpool. Matt Beard and his team were only thirty minutes away from their first 2025 victory. He decided to take the goalscorer, Olivia Smith, off. She had received a yellow card in the first half for giving Pattinson a shove. Sam Kerr was the other player to come off. She made her debut for Liverpool after coming to the club on loan.
It was good to see that Marie Höbinger made her way onto the pitch. She had an extra week to get ready for this match after the FA Cup tie was postponed. Beard had hoped she would be available.
Nikita Parris with the equalizer
Enderby was on the the pitch for mere seconds when she was sent away down the right. She had barely any Brighton defenders ahead of her. Enderby went for a shot on goal but it went wide. Kiernan was at the far post but could not give it the final touch.
After two chances missed by Liverpool, Brighton countered. Seike passed her defender and found Nikita Parris. Her touch was a bit heavy and her shot was deflected off Evans. It looped up and over goalkeeper Micah, scoring the equalizer.
Another deflection finds the back of the net
Brighton couldn’t hold onto their momentum and take the lead. It was Liverpool that took back control. Expecially Enderby causing all sorts of trouble. With ten more minutes on the clock Liverpool scored their second. Enderby ran down the right, looking for a teammate when she made her way into the box. Her effort was blocked by a Brighton defender, but landed perfectly for Fisk. Her shot was powerfull, deflecting of Carabalí – straight into the goal.
Seven minutes of stoppage time gave Brighton plenty of opportunity to do something about the score. The visitors were unable to equalize once more, leaving Liverpool with three points. This means the Reds move to 6th place for now.
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