Manchester City's Jess Park, left, battles for the ball with Liverpool's Marie Hobinger, rear, and Olivia Smith, right, during the Women's Super League match between Liverpool and Manchester City at Anfield, Liverpool, England, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/PA via AP-Mike Egerton
LIVERPOOL, United Kingdom – Canadian international Olivia Smith made history in a losing cause Sunday, scoring the first-ever goal for the Liverpool women at storied Anfield.
The 20-year-old from Whitby, Ont., outpaced a Manchester City defender to the ball after a long Liverpool goal kick and beat goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita in the 41st minute with a low, bouncing shot from well outside the penalty box.
Jamaican international Khadija Shaw scored twice in the second half, in the 58th and 92nd minute, as City rallied for a 2-1 victory.
Smith did not make it out for the second half, after suffering a knock.
The game was the Liverpool’s women’s fourth-ever league outing match at Anfield. They had lost the previous three without scoring a single goal, all against Everton – beaten 1-0 in November 2019, 3-0 in September 2022 and 1-0 last October.
The women are slated to play two more Barclays Women’s Super League games this season at Anfield, home to the Liverpool men, against Manchester United on March 16 and Everton on May 4. The Liverpool women play their other games at St. Helens Stadium.
Man City (3-0-1) tops the Super League table while Liverpool (1-1-2) stands fifth.
Smith joined Liverpool in July from Sporting CP after a season that saw her named the Portuguese women’s league’s Best Young Player with 13 goals and nine assists in 18 league appearances.
She was named Liverpool’s player of the month in September in a fan poll on Liverpoolfc.com. And her first goal for the club, in a 1-1 draw with West Ham United on Sept. 29, was nominated for the Barclays Women’s Super League Goal of the Month award.
Smith has won 10 caps for Canada, making her senior debut at 15.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2024.
