Lineups were announced and players warmed up before the first half got under way.
3′ Corner to Liverpool, conceded by Caitlin Hayes. 4′ Beata Olsson met Ceri Holland’s cross with a header but missed left; shortly afterwards Kirsty MacLean was flagged offside. 5′ Brighton won a corner (conceded by Risa Shimizu) and Fran Kirby fired a shot that missed to the left.
9′ Denise O’Sullivan went close from the centre of the box after a Ceri Holland cross but dragged her effort left. 10′ Liverpool won a corner, conceded by Caitlin Hayes. 11′ GOAL Liverpool 1-0 — Denise O’Sullivan headed home from very close range into the bottom right corner, assisted by Ceri Holland from a corner.
The game remained physical with a number of free kicks: 13′ Alejandra Bernabé won a free kick after a foul by Fran Kirby; 15′ Kiko Seike earned a free kick on the right following a foul by Bernabé; 16′ Fuka Nagano won a free kick after a foul by Marisa Olislagers.
19′ Ceri Holland’s shot went just over after a pass from Jenna Clark. 20′ Kirsty MacLean had a strike blocked in the centre of the box. 22′ GOAL Liverpool 2-0 — Beata Olsson curled a right-footed finish into the top right corner from the centre of the box, set up by Cornelia Kapocs.
Brighton hit back almost immediately. 23′ GOAL Brighton 1-2 — Manuela Vanegas finished from very close range to the high centre of the net following a Brighton corner. A Brighton corner had been conceded by Alejandra Bernabé just prior.
25′ Marisa Olislagers had a long-range left-foot effort blocked after Fran Kirby set her up. 27′ Ceri Holland won another free kick after Charlie Rule committed a foul. 33-34′ Denise O’Sullivan conceded a foul; 34′ Brighton’s Madison Haley won a free kick on the left.
35′ Charlie Rule rose at the back post and headed from a difficult angle, only for Jennifer Falk to tip the effort into the top right corner following a Fran Kirby cross. 39-40′ Liverpool earned successive corners; from a corner sequence at 40′ Alejandra Bernabé struck the bar with a left-foot shot from outside the box.
41′ Beata Olsson won a defensive free kick after a foul by Caitlin Hayes. 42′ Ceri Holland was flagged offside. 44′ Madison Haley was caught offside. The fourth official indicated 1 minute of added time.
In stoppage time Brighton pressed hard. Kiko Seike’s right-footed attempt from the right side of the six-yard box was saved low to the bottom right by Jennifer Falk, and Maisie Symonds then headed from very close range but sent it just over.
Half-time: Liverpool Women 2, Brighton and Hove Albion Women 1.