Liverpool boss Matt Beard has admitted it could take several more transfer windows for his side to be able to compete with the top teams in the Women's Super League.
Beard brought in six summer signings ahead of Liverpool's top-flight return, however it's been a turbulent start to life back in the WSL, with the Reds having won just one of their seven league games so far this term. Sunday's 3-3 draw against Brighton yielded Liverpool's first point since their opening day victory over Chelsea, with Shanice van de Sanden and Rachel Furness netting late on to put an end to their losing run.
Reflecting on the weekend's encounter, Beard told club media : "Sunday was an emotional rollercoaster. We started the game well, got in front, and then their goals were sort of our doing - even though I didn’t think their second was a penalty in the first place.
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"They scored their third goal from a cross that looped in and then we went into a bit of a shell and stopped playing. You can’t do that at this level. We needed half-time and we addressed a few things.
"I thought Shanice van de Sanden had a fantastic impact on the game and made a big difference for us, as did Rachel Furness and Charlotte Wardlaw when they came on. I was pleased with the end result because of what it looked like at half-time."
While Sunday's result offers a potential springboard for a Liverpool revival ahead of a decisive run of games, Beard is realistic about where the Reds can finish up this season.
"I know we’ve got a good enough squad to compete at this level, but I’m not going to come out and say our ambition is to just to stay up this season because we want to be as high up the league table as we can," he said. "To be perfectly honest with you, it’s going to take us two or three more transfer windows to get us competing with those top teams and it’s not going to happen overnight.
"From my perspective, it’s about how as individuals and as a team we grow."
Liverpool will have the chance to build on the weekend's result when they travel to the Madejski Stadium to take on Reading in the WSL on Thursday evening. The Reds currently sit tenth in the table, a point above Kelly Chambers' side, and will hope they can get back to winning ways with their trip to the south east.
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