When referee Lauren Impey blew her whistle to herald the annulment of Leighanne Robe’s second-half strike at Goodison Park, the ecstasy of those in Red quickly gave way to consternation.
Robe furrowed her brow. Megan Campbell fervently waved her finger in objection. And the contingent of Liverpool fans gathered in the Lower Bullens looked at one another in bewilderment.
All of the above reactions were justified, as Impey’s decision to rule out what would have been a winning goal for Liverpool for an alleged foul on goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan was a perplexing one.
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Contentious officiating aside, it was an impressive display from Matt Beard’s side at the home of their city rivals, and a marked improvement on their performance in the reverse fixture back in September.
On that occasion, goals from Megan Finnigan, Jess Park and Hanna Bennison secured the Blues’ first points of the WSL season in front of an exultant away end at Anfield, with Everton boss Brian Sorensen describing the trip across Stanley Park as “probably a bit easier than expected”.
It was a different story in the opening stages at Goodison Park, where the Reds carved out the first chances of the game. Ceri Holland tested Courtney Brosnan with a tame effort at the back post before Missy Bo Kearns saw her low drive blocked thanks to some frantic defending inside Everton’s six-yard box.
The Reds were made to pay for the spurned opportunities when Gabby George marked her century of WSL appearances with a stunning effort from distance. The Everton captain outfoxed Leighanne Robe with some neat footwork before unleashing a right-footed strike that looped over the head of Rachael Laws in the Liverpool goal.
The hosts almost made it two minutes later, when Megan Finnigan’s effort was blocked on line thanks to an impeccably-timed sliding challenge from Gemma Bonner. Liverpool rallied well though, with both Kearns and Emma Koivisto going close before Katie Stengel sat down Rikke Sevecke and coolly slotted the ball into the bottom corner to restore parity heading into the break.
And the Reds carried that momentum into the second half, forcing a flurry of early corners - one of which brought about the most contentious moment of the game. It was a well-worked routine; Missy Bo Kearns picking out Yana Daniels whose near-post flick on was smartly dispatched by Robe.
It was Ceri Holland though, whose actions proved decisive. The Liverpool midfielder was penalised for impeding Brosnan in the build up, though it looked as if both players were equally culpable for the tussle.
Still, there was still more than half an hour to play at Goodison Park, and both sides came close to getting their noses in front. The prodigious Jess Park had the best of Everton’s chances, heading just wide of the post before her sublime curling effort was ruled out for handball.
Liverpool substitute Sofie Lundgaard forced a fine fingertip save from Brosnan in the depths of stoppage time but the spoils were ultimately shared in front of 22,161 fans at Goodison Park.
"Credit to Everton and credit to us, it was a fantastic game,” Matt Beard said in his post-match press conference. “I’m frustrated because I’ve just seen the disallowed goal and it shouldn’t have been disallowed. With the chances we created, we should have won, but I’m pleased with another point on the board.”
Friday’s result means Liverpool stay in eighth place, eight points above the drop zone with seven games left to play. And Beard is hopeful his side are on course to retain their WSL status beyond the end of the season.
"History tells us the points we’ve got should be enough to stay in the division,” he said, “but we’ll continue to work hard to make sure mathematically that happens."
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