Manchester United marked their 250th match with a 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the Women’s Super League, as Julia Zigiotti Olme’s early goal proved decisive.
Eva Olid’s side struck after just six minutes when Zigiotti Olme intercepted a misplaced pass from Khiara Keating and lifted the ball into the net with the Liverpool goalkeeper caught out of position.
Liverpool responded strongly, but Phallon Tullis-Joyce produced an excellent double save to deny Cornelia Kapocs and Beata Olsson from close range.
United also threatened in an entertaining first half. Jess Park rattled the crossbar before Andrea Medina’s powerful follow-up was tipped behind by Keating.
At the other end, Tullis-Joyce kept out another Olsson effort at her near post as Liverpool continued to search for an equaliser.
Just before the interval, Ella Toone, who was omitted from England’s squad for this month’s World Cup qualifiers, played Medina through on goal. Keating reacted swiftly to smother the chance.
Elizabeth Terland later tested the Liverpool goalkeeper with a curling shot, but United could not add to their advantage.
Their defensive resilience was enough to secure successive league victories, moving them into sixth place, behind Liverpool on goal difference.
Having conceded stoppage-time goals against Arsenal and West Ham, United held firm this time to claim their first clean sheet of the season in all competitions.
Tullis-Joyce was instrumental, making eight saves, while Anna Sandberg and Maya le Tissier each contributed six clearances to help protect the narrow lead.
Although United’s finishing left Liverpool within touching distance, their concentration and discipline ensured they saw out the match.
The result extended their unbeaten run when scoring first in the league to 31 games, stretching back to a 2-1 defeat by Liverpool in December 2023.
Olid welcomed the three points while acknowledging that her team still need to sharpen their attacking play, particularly their final pass and finishing.
She also highlighted their growing understanding and willingness to work for one another, stressing that further improvement would come through training.
Liverpool recovered from their difficult start but were unable to undo the damage caused by Keating’s early mistake under United’s high press.
The goalkeeper subsequently made important saves to keep the visitors in contention, although their problems before half-time remain a concern.
Liverpool have now conceded four first-half goals in five league matches this season. Only Charlton, with five, have conceded more.
The visitors created enough opportunities to take something from the game, recording an expected goals total of 1.41 compared with United’s 0.59.
Olsson, Kapocs and Marie Hobinger each registered two shots on target, but Tullis-Joyce kept them out as Liverpool suffered their second league defeat of the campaign.
Manager Gareth Taylor felt his side needed to show greater confidence in possession. He said Liverpool had been drawn into matching United’s direct approach rather than sticking to their own style.
Taylor pointed to the workload of United’s goalkeeper as evidence of Liverpool’s chances, but admitted their response to the early setback lacked the bravery on the ball he wanted.
