Liverpool Women opened their Women's Super League campaign with a comfortable 4-0 victory at Charlton Athletic on Saturday. The visitors took control early and never looked back, ending a barren spell against their London opponents. It was a stark contrast to their previous meeting, when Liverpool had edged Charlton 1-0 in April.
G. Fisk broke the deadlock on eight minutes, finishing a period of sustained pressure. Charlton tried to respond but C. Holland picked up a booking fifteen minutes in, and by then the visitors were dictating the tempo. The home side switched off at a set piece and paid for it when Fisk doubled the lead fifty-three minutes on.
Charlton manager made changes within the hour, bringing on P. Partido and later C. Holland herself. Liverpool, however, were already three goals ahead when V. Endemann added a third sixty-three minutes in. The German international had been on the field since the start and got over the line with a well-taken effort.
Both sides made further substitutions in the second half, with Liverpool bringing on B. Olsson and L. Davidson as they managed the game. Charlton's frustration showed when S. Whitehouse received a late yellow card, but the match was effectively over by then.
Liverpool sealed the win with a penalty in stoppage time, C. Kapocs converting from the spot to make it four. The result leaves the visitors eleventh in the table with seventeen points from their twenty-two previous games, though this was their first outing of the new season.
Charlton now face a task to rebuild after a difficult opening day. They cannot afford another slip if they want to establish any momentum before the next fixture.
