Brighton and Hove Albion 1 Liverpool 2
Liverpool managed to hang on to beat Brighton and Hove Albion 2-1 at the Amex Stadium at lunchtime today (Saturday 19 April).
The result meant that Brighton slipped from fifth to sixth in the Women’s Super League table while Liverpool moved from sixth to fifth.
Olivia Smith and Leanne Kiernan scored at the start and end of the first half and Michelle Agyemang replied for the Seagulls just after the break.
But despite Brighton looking like the stronger of the two sides for much of the second half, they were unable to find an equaliser.
The first half belonged to the Reds. Wales midfielder Ceri Holland was the provider for both Liverpool goals and picked up the ball in space down the left just over a minute after the 12.30pm kick-off.
She made good ground with a 30-yard run before cutting inside a defender and flighting the ball to the far side of the penalty area.
There, 20-year-old Smith, presented with the tightest of gaps by the advancing Melina Loeck, was able to clip the ball home.
Holland also provided the assist for the second goal just moments before half-time, taking advantage of a mix-up in the Albion defence to set up Kiernan.
Nineteen-year-old Michelle Agyemang pulled back a goal for Brighton moments after the restart, from a Kiko Seike cross, but while the hosts were more competitive they lacked the final touch.
Despite any Liverpool nerves, the visitors were able to hang on for victory and put an end to a run of three straight defeats in all competitions.
Head coach Dario Vidosic said that it was very much a tale of two halves, with sloppy play and critical mistakes before the break making it too hard to come back fron the opening day of the om.
Even after the interval, too often Albion were “too reluctant to go forward” and the quality of the Liverpool side kept them in front.
Brighton travel to Everton next weekend, with kick-off scheduled for 2pm on Sunday 27 April.
They thrashed the Toffees 4-0 on the opening day of the season, with Seike hitting a hat-trick on her Albion debut.
