Key events
36 minutes: Guro Bergsvand fouls Ceri Holland on the Liverpool left. The resulting free kick is played straight into Baggaley’s hands. The Brighton goalkeeper wastes no time and kicks the ball out of her hands to send Brighton on the counterattack. Once again Brighton lacked quality in their last ball and the attack achieved nothing.
33 minutes: The game became quite disjointed after a short break while Pattinson received treatment for the previous clash of heads. Neither team really found their rhythm.
26 minutes: Brighton try to play from the back again. A cut ball from Baggaley leads to a clash of heads between Emma Koivisto and Poppy Pattinson. The Brighton player goes down holding her head, but ultimately looks like she’s going to continue.
23 minutes: The two teams are currently facing each other. There weren’t many clear-cut chances, apart from Terland’s goal.
20 mins: Liverpool whip in another corner from the right side. Ultimately it came to nothing, but Brighton quickly moved from defense to attack. The final ball into the striker isn’t quite right but it shows Brighton’s potential on the counter-attack.
15 mins: It is now Liverpool’s turn to attack. Melissa Lawley plays a teasing ball into the box from the right side. Nobody manages to connect with the first cross, but it is played back from the left for Marie Höbinger to meet it for the first time. The shot is well blocked by the Brighton defense. The Seagulls have blocked 81 shots on goal in the WSL, 26 more than any other team.
11 minutes: Brighton presses Liverpool well and Elisabeth Terland recovers the ball about thirty meters away. Full of confidence, she sends a low shot past the left post. The message may even have been cut off. Promising first signs for Brighton.
10 minutes: Brighton play some complex stuff on the left side. Poppy Pattinson plays a quick one-two with a teammate and whips in a dangerous ball. He barely manages to escape a Brighton header.
6 minutes: Sophie Román Haug connects with the corner from the right side. She gets up well and passes the ball past the right post.
Brighton won’t want to give him too many opportunities. Román Haug has won the most dogfights in the league with 58 (21 more than any other player).
4 minutes: Brighton look confident on the ball early on. Despite Liverpool’s press, they calmly play the ball backwards. But they have now conceded a corner…
1 minute: Early corner for Liverpool. It’s floaty but it’s a comfortable stop for Sophie Baggaley.
Liverpool kick off, playing from left to right.
Matt Beard speaks to reporters during his press conference on Friday:
“Structurally, there have obviously been some changes. The way they (Brighton) build and play. I think outside of possession they are a lot more organized and not as high a risk with their pressing as they were (sic) under Mel. So we have to be patient on Sunday when we have the ball. Structurally they build very well and defensively they are organized. So in such a short time I think he has done a fantastic job, so tactically it will be a good challenge for us on Sunday.
Mikey Harris speaking at Friday’s press conference:
“We had plenty of opportunities to do our research. I looked at them (Liverpool), we see a clear identity, they are well coached. I know Matt – I worked with his brother Mark here at Brighton for several years so I know what he talks about and what his teams will be like and we are expecting a tough game on Sunday. We will be prepared as best we can and we will do everything to win the match.
The teams:
Brighton: Sophie Baggaley, Maria Thorisdóttir, Poppy Pattinson, Guro Bergsvand, Vicky Losada, Veatriki Sarri, Julia Zigiotti Olme, Elisabeth Terland, Emma Kullberg, Tatiana Ferreira Pinto, Katie Robinson
Submarines: Lee, Li, Dent, Startup, Mcwen, Bremer, Johnson
Liverpool: Rachael Laws, Emma Koivisto, Grace Fisk, Niamh Fahey, Gemma Bonner, Jasmine Matthews, Fuka Nagano, Ceri Holland, Marie Höbinger, Melissa Lawley, Sophie Román Haug
Submarines: Daniels, Clark, Lundgaard, Enderby, van de Sanden, Kiernan, Micah, Kearns
Preamble
Brighton are looking for a first WSL win under caretaker manager Mikey Harris. Three points today could potentially move them from 11th to 7th in the championship.
Meanwhile, Liverpool need a win today to bounce back after a few defeats in January. A victory for Matt Beard’s team would keep the pressure on Manchester United in 4th position.
Everything is to play for then! Kick-off is at 12 p.m. GMT.
