Manchester United continued their upward trajectory under the guidance of new manager Eva Olid, thanks to an early, expertly placed chip from Julia Zigiotti that secured a 1-0 triumph against Liverpool. After a rocky beginning to Olid's tenure—losing her first two matches and suffering a heavy 5-0 defeat at the hands of Chelsea—the team appears to have found its footing, collecting seven points from the last three fixtures and delivering a decisive performance against a Liverpool side that had been enjoying one of its strongest starts in the Women's Super League in almost a decade. The decisive moment arrived within the first six minutes of the match when Zigiotti seized upon a weak clearance by Liverpool defender Khiara Keating.
Positioning herself just outside the penalty area, she lofted a perfectly weighted chip from approximately 20 yards that sailed over the goalkeeper and 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, reflecting on the intent behind her early strike. That solitary goal proved enough to clinch the win, but United were not short of opportunities on both sides of the half‑time whistle.
In the first half, Liverpool pressed hard, creating several chances that tested United's defensive resolve. The most dramatic of these came when Jess Park, after a long surge from her own half, unleashed a powerful shot that struck the crossbar, narrowly missing an equaliser. Liverpool also threatened the United goal, with Beata Olsson forcing a save and then nearly leveling the score when a rebound from Cornelia Kapocs fell to her feet; however, her follow‑up was off‑target, prompting goalkeeper Phallon Tullis‑Joyce to execute a remarkable double save. The match narrative was punctuated by a series of notable incidents that illustrated the intensity of the contest.
At the 21st minute, Tullis‑Joyce produced a superb double save, denying both Kapocs and Olsson in quick succession. Later, at the 37th minute, Park's effort cannoned off the crossbar after a brilliant run from deep within her own half. Liverpool responded in kind at the 40th minute when Olsson's free‑kick effort was deflected onto the near post by Tullis‑Joyce, again finding the woodwork.
In stoppage time of the first half, Ella Toone set up a chance for Medina on the left, but Keating quickly closed down the attacker, smothering the one‑on‑one opportunity. The second half continued in a similar vein, with both sides creating moments of danger. Jenna Clark headed a corner at the 69th minute that narrowly missed the goal, squeezing past the far post. At the 80th minute, Liverpool’s Terland forced another save from Keating with a curling effort that brushed the goalkeeper but ultimately failed to trouble her sufficiently.
Throughout these exchanges, United’s defensive unit held firm, maintaining the slim lead earned by Zigiotti’s early chip. Following the final whistle, Zigiotti was named United’s player of the match and celebrated as the match‑winner. In her interview with BBC Sport, she expressed 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 [Olid] 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 also praised the team's progress, noting the significance of heading into the international break on a winning note: "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’s midfielder Grace Fisk, on the other hand, voiced disappointment with 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 marks Manchester United’s first consecutive wins since February and brings them level on points with Liverpool as the season pauses for the international break. The match also highlighted the tactical acumen of Eva Olid, whose side displayed improved cohesion, confidence, and a willingness to press high from the outset. As the WSL season progresses, United will look to build on this momentum, while Liverpool will seek to regroup and address the lapses that cost them dearly in a match they had the quality to win. In addition to the on‑field action, fans were reminded of the ongoing promotion offering a chance to win £1 million through the Super 6 competition, with entries available for free.
This added an extra layer of excitement for supporters watching the game, underscoring the growing commercial appeal of women's football in England.