Report: United Women 4 Liverpool 0

As had been the case pre-match at Old Trafford on Saturday evening, the Leigh crowd paid tribute to the much-loved Kath Phipps before kick-off with a touching minute’s applause.

The opening half hour proved to be a slightly cagey affair, before United settled into a good rhythm and eventually scored four without reply.

Elisabeth Terland fired the Reds ahead - her fourth for the club - with our landmark 250th home goal, before Leah Galton doubled that advantage within a minute inside the first half.

Second-half strikes from Dominique Janssen and Melvine Malard capped off an impressive win overall.

FIRST HALF

Liverpool mounted some early pressure as the winter temperature bit, although United caught a sniff of goal when Geyse was fractions away from connecting with Jayde Riviere's lofted ball into a dangerous area. It prompted a better spell spearheaded by the electric Brazilian. A penalty appeal was also waved away when Gabby George felt she was dragged down in the box.

Phallon Tullis-Joyce was called into action midway through the half when Fuka Nagano drilled a low shot towards goal, our no.91 expertly pushed the ball to safety. United soon threatened at the other end too as the ball made its way through to Terland at the far post. Unfortunately she couldn’t control the first-time shot and it didn't trouble the Liverpool goal.

Terland made no mistake when the next chance. She initially played the ball inside to Geyse, whose shot was blocked. But, as the ball fell invitingly for Teri, she opened up her body to steer a low right-footed shot into the far bottom corner, clipping the post as it nestled in the goal.

No sooner than United were 1-0 up, we were 2-0 up. Virtually straight from kick-off, Dominique Janssen picked up the second ball in midfield and fed a ball into the acres of space in Liverpool's half in front of Galton. As she went through on goal, the power of the shot was what beat Teagan Micah.

The visitors had their clearest opportunity of the half in the closing stages before the interval, Cornelia Kapocs getting in at goal but delivering a tame shot that Tullis-Joyce was comfortably equal to.

SECOND HALF

United started the second period with confidence after taking that lead into the break, creating plenty of openings through an increasingly stretched Liverpool defence. On one occasion, Hinata Miyazawa fed a precise pass through to Galton, whose cushioned touch into the path of Terland was followed by a shot that was just too high.

When Geyse later found Terland in space not long after, Liverpool needed a heroic block from Gemma Bonner. The centre-back soon threw herself in the way of a powerful goal-bound strike from Galton following good work from Grace Clinton to win the ball just inside the Liverpool half.

Galton continued her impressive return to the starting XI, having been eased back in as a substitute in recent games, seeing Janssen waiting at the edge of the box after a corner and laying the ball back for the Netherlands international to drill a low strike into the bottom corner.

Into the final 20 minutes and United were pushing for a fourth, seeing Micah spring to her left to parry a well-struck Clinton shot from outside the box behind for a corner. That eventually came when Malard met a searching cross from Janssen, smashing a volley in at that near post that Micah got hands to but couldn't keep it out.

Both sides made a number of further changes in the closing stages, including a WSL debut for United's teenage midfielder Emma Watson following her club bow in a cup tie last month.

Attention now turns to the Women's League Cup on Wednesday night when Newcastle visit Leigh Sports Village, before we wrap 2024 with a WSL trip to Crystal Palace next weekend.

MATCH DETAILS

United: Tullis-Joyce; Riviere (Awujo 83), Le Tissier (c), Turner, George; Clinton, Janssen, Miyazawa (Watson 83); Geyse (Bizet 65), Terland (Williams 78), Galton (Malard 65).

Subs not used: Middleton-Patel, Sandberg, Simpson, Ladd.

Goals: Terland 33, Galton 34, Janssen 59, Malard 81.

Booked: Le Tissier 70, Awujo 89.

Liverpool: Micah; Fisk (Daniels 77), Bonner, Matthews (Clark 63); Nagano; Shaw, Holland (Duffy 90+6), Kapocs (Kiernan 63), Hinds (c); Smith, Enderby (Fahey 77).

Subs not used: Spencer.

Booked: Matthews 6.

Attendance: 4,782.