Liverpool manager Gareth Taylor admitted his side were handed a “real reality check” as their winless start to the Women’s Super League season extended with a damaging 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa.
The Reds remain without a victory after 10 league matches, collecting only four points. Thursday night’s performance at Villa Park – where Liverpool failed to register a single shot on target – leaves them two points adrift at the foot of the table.
When asked about the mounting pressure on his position, Taylor told Sky Sports: “I don’t know. I think there is a real reality check here. I think this team needs help. I need help.”
Taylor, formerly of Manchester City, took charge in August following Amber Whiteley’s interim tenure, which concluded with a seventh-place finish last season. But the early months of his reign have been challenging: he has overseen just three wins, all coming in the Women’s League Cup against second-tier opposition.
“I think there’s no doubt we have regressed as a team, certainly more than is acceptable for a club like Liverpool,” Taylor said. “We’ve given everything. We’re trying to coach the players and the players are honest. But sometimes you can be exposed – and that’s what happened tonight.”
Injuries have disrupted Liverpool’s progress under Taylor. Playmaker Marie Hobinger and striker Sophie Roman Haug both suffered ACL injuries, while experienced figures such as Ceri Holland and Gemma Bonner have also spent time sidelined.
Liverpool now face a crucial meeting with fellow strugglers West Ham on Sunday (11:55 GMT), a match that could lift the Reds out of the relegation play-off spot.
“We have to go and show a reaction,” Taylor insisted. “If we don’t, West Ham have players who can capitalise – and they will.”
Liverpool’s issues were evident from the outset at Villa Park. A defensive miscommunication between Gemma Evans and goalkeeper Faye Kirby allowed Rachel Daly to score inside 27 seconds. Villa doubled their advantage when Chasity Grant broke behind the defence to set up Kirsty Hanson, before Daly added a third after Kirby parried a shot into her path.
Brighton forward Fran Kirby, analysing the match for Sky Sports, described it as “a tough night” for Liverpool.
“Even though they looked comfortable in possession at times, it just wasn’t enough,” she said. “There were too many goals that could have been avoided with better communication or awareness.”
Taylor accepted that Liverpool’s own errors had shaped the result. “We made it really easy for Villa,” he said. “Competing and trying to win games has to be the minimum. We need fight, reaction, good body language. Without that, it becomes a real struggle because Liverpool can’t win games when we play like that.”
