Blackburn Rovers Ladies 0 - 6 Liverpool Women

Liverpool Women: Player XX’, Player XX’, Player XX’ (Header 5)

Pre-Match

The perfect way to wash away the lingering feelings from a disappointing loss is definitely to get back out on the pitch. Liverpool Women traveled to Bamber Bridge to visit the Blackburn Rovers Ladies in the Continental Tyres Cup, looking to prove that they truly were the best team on the pitch on Sunday against Everton, despite the loss. Rinsola Babajide gets a well deserved start and the Red Women are all ready to fight for some confidence to bring back to the league.

First Half

Liverpool start brightly and take control early, making decisive moves on and off the ball to barely give Blackburn a sniff. It only takes nine minutes for the Reds to find their first goal, with Rhiannon Roberts firing from a tight angle and putting Liverpool ahead. From there it truly was off to the races as the Reds didn’t let up on their threats. One definitely wouldn’t be enough for this team to sit on.

Melissa Lawley very nearly found the second goal at around 19 minutes, but after skipping into the box her effort goes just wide. Thankfully, Rinsola Babajide is there to pick up the pieces and a few minutes later scores the second goal from just outside! The Reds truly have decided to run riot over Blackburn and look like they’re having the time of their lives doing it.

Another goal? Oh yes. Five minutes after Babajide, Lawley finally finds her shot and makes it three in the first half for the Reds, shooting past the keeper after picking up a pass from Ashley Hodson. The combination of Lawley, Hodson, and Babajide has turned out to be just what the Reds need to make things happen, and proves to be just too much for the Blackburn defenses to handle.

Did they rest after three? Of course not. Defender Leighanne Robe starts a brilliant counterattack supplemented by Roberts, who lays off a pass to Hodson and Hodson smashes it into the net to make it four for the Reds, all before the end of the first half.

Second Half

Four goals in 45 minutes? This is the stuff us Women’s team fans could have only dreamt about, have only been dreaming about, and have known was coming from this team. There has never been any wuestion about this team’s ability, and they’ve shown it in spades today against Blackburn. Vicky Jepson makes one change at halftime, bringing on Courtney Sweetman-Kirk for Sophie Bradley-Auckland, and we’re back to the races.

Lawley very nearly sets up Babajide for a fifth goal early on in the half, but Blackburn are finally able to block the shot and keep from hemorrhaging another goal - for now. The Reds are still on the attack and Lawley takes another shot from a free kick, but it goes just wide. Jepson makes her second change of the day bringing on Missy Bo Kearns, from the Women’s academy, to replace Jade Bailey.

All this excitement happens with Liverpool, and Blackburn try to claw their way back into this match, with Becky Jane making a great interception to keep Blackburn’s Natasha Flint from breaking through and doing some damage. Fran Kitching is even finally called into duty to block a dangers Rovers shot but she holds onto it well. Jepson’s final change of the day comes around the 65th minute, with Amy Rodgers coming on for Niamh Fahey as the Reds look to finish out this match with flair.

Missy Bo Kearns has brough a lot of energy onto the pitch and is desperate to find her first senior goal for the Reds, with a chance going well over the crossbar just before the boss’s final change. It’s our number 9 Courtney Sweetman-Kirk that makes the fifth goal happen with a blistering run and a missile of a shot past the Rovers keeper. And the youngster? Kearns fires for the sixth, finding the net in superb fashion at 87 minutes from a free kick, making the victory absolute.

Final Thoughts

Liverpool emphatically did the thing, but it has to be said as exciting as it is, it’s against a Championship team, as their other victory this year has come from. And with tough fixtures against Arsenal and Manchester City and Chelsea on the horizon, it’ll be an uphill battle for the rest of the season.