Man United continued the upward trajectory they have been building under new manager Eva Olid, thanks to an early, expertly placed chip from Julia Zigiotti that secured a 1-0 triumph against Liverpool and handed the Red Devils back-to-back wins. After a rocky opening to Olid’s tenure – losing the first two fixtures and then suffering a heavy 5-0 defeat to Chelsea – the side appears to have found its rhythm, gathering seven points from the last three matches and dispatching a strong Liverpool side at Leigh Sports Village. The decisive moment arrived within the first ten minutes when Zigiotti capitalised on a wayward clearance by Liverpool defender Khiara Keating.
The ball fell to Zigiotti just outside the penalty area, and she responded with a perfectly timed chip that floated over the goalkeeper and nestled into the net. "We wanted to start the game quickly and hope they were not prepared, and that's what happened today," Zigiotti told BBC Sport after the match.
That solitary goal proved enough to clinch the win, although United had several chances to extend their lead in both halves. Liverpool, under Gareth Taylor, were enjoying one of their best starts to a Women's Super League season in nearly ten years and pressed United hard throughout the encounter. The most dramatic of United’s missed opportunities came just before the halftime break when Jess Park surged forward from her own half, cut inside the box and unleashed a powerful strike that struck the crossbar, narrowly missing an equaliser. Liverpool also threatened to level the score.
Beata Olsson saw two attempts bounce off the woodwork – first a direct shot that hit the post, then a rebound from a Cornelia Kapocs header that she failed to convert, allowing goalkeeper Phallon Tullis‑Joyce to produce a spectacular double save that kept United’s lead intact. In the end, Zigiotti’s early chip not only delivered the decisive goal but also marked Man United’s first consecutive victories since February. The win also saw the Red Devils draw level on points with Liverpool heading into the international break. Key moments of the match include: - 6' GOAL: Zigiotti intercepts Keating’s clearance and chips the ball from about 20 yards out to put United ahead.
- 21' DOUBLE SAVE: Tullis‑Joyce produces an outstanding double save, denying Liverpool’s Kapocs and Olsson in quick succession. - 37' OFF THE BAR: Park’s long‑range effort from just inside Liverpool’s box ricochets off the crossbar. - 40' POST: Olsson’s free‑kick effort is turned onto the near post by Tullis‑Joyce, again hitting the woodwork.
- 45+3' BIG SAVE: Toone drives Medina down the left, but Keating rushes off her line to smother the one‑on‑one chance. - 69' CLOSE: Jenna Clark heads a corner narrowly missing the goal, the ball squeezing past the post. - 80' SAVE: Terland’s curling effort forces another save from Keating, who is left with little time to react. Player of the match, Julia Zigiotti Olme, expressed her delight after the game: "I’m so happy with the three points.
Very important win for us but it was a hard game. We wanted to start quick and they weren’t ready, so I’m very happy about that. We’ve grown a lot of confidence in training and in matches. We had two cup games where many players could play and we kept going.
I’m just happy with the goals today." Midfielder Ella Toone added her perspective: "It’s been good, it’s a project, we are getting better each week and it is really nice to go into an international break on the back of a win. Tough game, we had energy today and I don’t think the first half they could deal with the intensity with how we started the game and a good goal from Ziggy and then some really good defending kept us in it." Liverpool midfielder Grace Fisk reflected on her side’s performance: "We’re disappointed with the performance, most of all. We’ve played some really nice football in the first half of this season and been really dominant.
We couldn’t really find our feet today. Credit to them, they were really aggressive and direct. There were phases where we had good momentum and chances.
They defended around their box really well. Gareth Taylor is pretty big on performance and he’s pretty disappointed in how we played.
We’ve played at such a high level, shown how dominant we can be, and for whatever reason we didn’t do that." Overall, the match highlighted United’s growing cohesion under Olid, with Zigiotti’s clinical finishing and the team’s defensive resilience proving decisive. Liverpool, despite their early-season promise, will need to regroup quickly as the league pauses for the international window. The victory also underscores United’s ambition to climb the WSL table, turning early setbacks into a platform for sustained success. Play Super 6 for a chance to win £1m!
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