Manchester United continued their upward trajectory under the guidance of new manager Eva Olid, thanks to an early, expertly placed chip by Julia Zigiotti that secured a narrow 1-0 triumph against Liverpool. The win marked United's second consecutive victory, reinforcing the team's resurgence after a rocky start to the season.
Olid's tenure began with a difficult introduction: the side dropped points in their opening two fixtures and suffered a heavy 5-0 defeat at the hands of Chelsea. However, the recent performances suggest a turning point. United have now accumulated seven points from their last three matches, and they dispatched a determined Liverpool side at Leigh Sports Village with confidence and composure.
The decisive moment arrived within the first ten minutes. Liverpool defender Khiara Keating attempted a clearance that fell short, allowing Zigiotti Olme to pounce. From just outside the penalty area, she lofted a perfectly timed chip that sailed over the goalkeeper, Phallon Tullis-Joyce, and settled into the net at the six‑minute mark.
"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, but United were not short of chances throughout both halves.
Liverpool, enjoying one of their best starts to a Women's Super League campaign in nearly a decade, pressed hard and came agonisingly close to equalising. Five minutes before the break, Jess Park surged forward from her own half, driving a powerful shot that struck the crossbar, denying United a comfortable lead. Liverpool also tested the United defence with several attempts on target.
Beata Olsson saw her effort rebound off the post, and a follow‑up shot from the same player was saved by Tullis-Joyce in a spectacular double‑save sequence. The goalkeeper's reflexes were on full display as she denied both Olsson and Cornelia Kapocs in quick succession, preserving United's slender advantage. In the second half, United continued to threaten.
Jenna Clark headed a corner that rattled the near post, while midfielder Ella Toone orchestrated several attacks down the left flank. Despite Liverpool's relentless pressure, United's back line held firm, with goalkeeper Tullis-Joyce making another crucial intervention to keep the scoreline intact.
The match timeline highlighted several key moments: - 6' GOAL: Zigiotti intercepts Keating's clearance and chips the ball from 20 yards out to put United ahead. - 21' DOUBLE SAVE: Tullis-Joyce produces a superb double stop, denying Liverpool after quick attempts by Kapocs and Olsson. - 37' OFF THE BAR: Park's long‑range effort from inside the Liverpool box smashes against the crossbar.
- 40' POST: Olsson's free‑kick effort is turned onto the near post by Tullis-Joyce. - 45+3' BIG SAVE: Toone finds Medina on the left, but Keating rushes off her line to block the one‑on‑one. - 69' CLOSE: Jenna Clark's corner header squeezes past the far post, nearly finding the net. - 80' SAVE: Terland's curling shot forces another save from Keating, who is left with little room to react.
After the final whistle, Zigiotti was named United's player of the match. She expressed her delight at securing three points: "I'm so happy with the three points. Very important win for us but it was a hard game.
We want to start the game quick and hope they are not prepared and that's what happened today, so very happy about that. We have just grown confidence in how we play. It was new when Eva came but we have grown a lot of confidence in training, in the games, we had two cup games a lot of players could play and we kept going.
I'm just happy with the goals today." Midfielder Ella Toone echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the project's progress: "It's been good, it is 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 do not think in the first half they could deal with the intensity with how we started the game and good goal from Ziggy and then some really good defending kept us in it." Liverpool midfielder Grace Fisk was more candid about 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." The victory not only gave United back‑to‑back wins for the first time since February but also saw them draw level on points with Liverpool heading into the upcoming international break.
The result underscores Olid's growing influence and the squad's increasing belief in their tactical identity. As the season progresses, United will look to build on this momentum, while Liverpool will aim to regroup and address the shortcomings that saw them fall short despite a strong start to the campaign. Play Super 6 for a chance to win £1m!
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