The Liverpool FC Women had nothing but pride to play for on Saturday as they faced Arsenal at Anfield. The Reds had an outside chance at finishing 10th instead of 11th with a win, but more than anything were hoping to send out club veteran Gemma Bonner and veteran Gemma Evans with a win after both announced they would be leaving the club earlier in the week. Both players were recognized prior to kickoff. Arsenal, for their part, had a very publicly stated goal of finishing second in the WSL. That would require at least a point to seal the deal.
As has usually been the case this season, Gareth Taylor had several injuries to contend with when setting the lineup. Ceri Holland was only fit for the bench after taking a knock in the match with Brighton last week, while reserve players Lily Woodham and Sam Kerr missed out due to injuries. Gemma Bonner won her race for fitness to make the bench after missing the prior five matches with an injury.
The match kicked off with Arsenal immediately taking the upper hand, exploiting gaps of space with cutting through balls. Jennifer Falk was called into action early and often to keep the visitors from scoring in the opening 15 minutes, including a 1v1 save on Caitlin Foord.
The Swedish goalkeeper was frustrated with herself for the goal Arsenal eventually scored in the 21st minute. The visitors moved the ball around to Alessio Russo well outside the top of the box, and the playmaker lofted a ball towards the net. Falk had to hold position due to the run of Stina Blackstenius, with the Arsenal striker leaping towards the ball to potentially get a flick on. Blackstenius ended up not getting a touch and the ball bounced past the feet of Falk, who was rooted after expecting the ball to be redirected.
Falk more than made up for the concession with a couple more acrobatic saves during the next 10 minutes of play. Her heroics were not enough, however, as Arsenal continued to pile on the pressure. The visitors doubled their lead in the 32nd minute after a short corner routine saw Liverpool defenders pulled out of shape and Alice Bergstrom overplayed Mariona Caldentey in the box after the Arsenal midfielder received a slipped pass from Katie McCabe. Caldentey easily cut past Bergstrom before smashing the ball into the top far corner from close range.
It went from bad to worse for the Reds as Arsenal showed no mercy as they continued to shred the Liverpool midfield and defense. The visitor scored just five minutes later as Alejandra Bernabé was roasted in transition. The Liverpool left back did not track the run of Victoria Pelova and was left stranded as a pass slid past her to the Arsenal midfielder who had snuck in behind. Pelova delivered a simple square ball across the face of goal that left the Liverpool defense scrambling in panic. The ball went all the way through to Alessio Russo, who calmly side footed the ball back across to the top corner inside the far post for a 3-0 lead in the first half.
Gareth Taylor made one substitution at half time, bringing on Cornelia Kapocs for Mia Enderby. Liverpool played deeper to start the second half in what looked like an effort to limit damage. The defensive shape did help solidify things, but it also did not help the Reds generate much in terms of offense.
Gemma Bonner came on for her last appearance for Liverpool in the 60th minute. She was joined entering the match by young midfielder Zara Shaw and stalwart Ceri Holland. The trio would all be involved in giving the Reds a glimmer of a chance in the 74th minute.
Ceri Holland served in a corner kick deep into the box where it was met by the head of Jenna Clark. The towering defender nodded the ball back towards the center of the box where it came off the body of Bonner and fell to Shaw. The youngster lashed the ball into the net to pull a goal back for Liverpool.
That was the only real threat from Liverpool on the day as Arsenal strolled through the closing 15 minutes of the match as the score finished 3-1. It was yet another demoralizing defeat at Anfield for the Liverpool Women’s side.
The often frustrating and ultimately disappointing season has now concluded for Liverpool. The Reds finished 11th of 12 teams in the WSL, though they were a solid 8 points ahead of Leicester City. The squad will now look towards next season as the club looks to build a more stable and sustainable foundation.
