In one of the final games of the opening weekend, Liverpool hosted Leicester City at their new home ground, St Helens Stadium, after moving from Prenton Park at the end of the 23/24 season. The teams shared the points with a 1-1 draw, thanks to goals from Sophie Roman Haug and Jutta Rantala.
Leicester’s Aimee Mouchan kicked off the game in Merseyside, but Liverpool showed attacking intent almost immediately. In the eighth minute, Ceri Holland came close with an excellent strike, only to be denied by Leicester goalkeeper Lize Kop.
Liverpool continued to maintain possession around Leicester’s box. A great chance fell to Marie Hobinger after a neatly placed pass from Melissa Lawley, but Leicester’s defence stood firm to clear the danger.
Despite a strong 15 minutes of dominance from the Reds, Leicester managed to break forward and earned a few set-piece opportunities, though they were unable to capitalise.
Ruby Mace was central to Leicester’s efforts, switching between defending Liverpool’s attacks and creating chances for her own side. She took a shot after moving forward but failed to convert.
Just moments later, Liverpool captain Taylor Hinds had a chance to score on the opposite end, but she was also called into defensive action soon after, dealing with a flurry of Leicester chances.
The deadlock was finally broken just before halftime. In the 44th minute, Sophie Roman Haug found the net, scoring Liverpool’s first goal of the new season at their new stadium. The goal came courtesy of a well-timed assist from Hobinger.
The second half began with a Liverpool substitution, as Gemma Evans made way for Jasmine Matthews. The home side started strongly, creating chances early on, but Leicester’s defence held firm.
Leicester eventually gained momentum, and after winning several free kicks, they equalised in the 53rd minute. Jutta Rantala finished a brilliant cross from Yui Momiki to make it 1-1.
Both teams continued to push for the lead, making a series of substitutions in an attempt to find the winner. As the clock ticked towards the 90th minute, the match saw a few harsh tackles, leading to yellow cards for Liverpool’s Fuka Nagano and Leicester’s Jemma Purfield.
Seven minutes of added time were announced, and while it seemed the points would be shared, Ruby Mace thought she had secured a late winner for Leicester in the 94th minute, only for the goal to be ruled offside.
Next up, Liverpool will travel to East London for their first away game of the season against West Ham, while Leicester hosts Arsenal at the King Power Stadium.
Starting XIs
Liverpool: Laws (GK), Evans, Bonner, Clark, Hinds (c), Holland, Nagano, Hobinger, Parry, Haug, Smith
Leicester City: Kop (GK), Cayman (c), Thibaud, Howard, Bott, Momiki, Mace, Tierney, Goodwin, Mouchon, Rantala.
Featured image courtesy of Mike Faherty via Geograph. License details found here.