Liverpool Women Show Strength in Spurs Stalemate Ahead of City Clash
Liverpool Women entered the new campaign with a simple, sensible target. Three games, including newly promoted Charlton, mid-table Tottenham, and reigning champions Manchester City. Four points from that run would have felt like progress, a steady step back toward mid-table respectability.
They might just be ahead of schedule.
A ruthless 4-0 dismantling of Charlton on opening day did more than tick off the first part of the plan. It jolted expectations. The performance had bite, tempo, and a swagger that hinted this side might be capable of more than quietly rebuilding.
The 1-1 draw with Tottenham in week two did not carry the same scoreline, but it told an equally important story.
A draw that felt like a missed opportunity
On paper, a point against Spurs keeps Liverpool exactly where their pre-season projections placed them. On the pitch, though, it felt like two dropped.
"I'm really proud of the performance," manager Gareth Taylor said afterwards. "I felt we were the better team. We improved second half, but I still felt we were probably the team that were looking more likely in the first. I think where we've just come up short today is our final action."
That last line summed it up. Liverpool controlled long stretches, especially after the break, but lacked the decisive touch to turn dominance into a statement win.
The pressure told in waves. Spurs were forced deep, their out-balls cut off, their midfield gradually overrun. Liverpool kept recycling possession, kept asking questions, kept pinning their visitors back.
"For the amount of play that we had, it felt in the second half that Tottenham really couldn't get out of their half but only for a couple of moments," Taylor noted. "I'm really proud of the team and where we've taken it to now. I thought the goal was quality and I thought we could have had a penalty."
The sense of frustration was understandable. When a side spends that much time camped in the opposition half, when the structure and intensity are there, players and staff expect the scoreboard to reflect it.
This time, it didn’t quite.
From survival scrap to solid footing
Even so, context matters. Liverpool’s early return of four points from two games already shines a harsh light on last season’s struggles. The difference in conviction is stark.
Last year, fixtures like this often slipped away. Pressure would build, but belief would wobble. Now, even when the final action fails them, Liverpool look organised, confident, and increasingly sure of who they are.
"There are a lot of elements of our game today that we're really satisfied with," Taylor said. "Tottenham are a good team. They're not going to give up the spaces easily and they wanted to be aggressive and change their press in the first half to try to stop us gaining so much ball."
Spurs did adjust, tried to choke Liverpool’s rhythm, altered their press to deny easy possession. It worked in flashes. Not for long enough. By the second half, Liverpool had reasserted control, dictated the tempo, and hemmed Tottenham in.
The cutting edge will need to follow. But the platform is there.
City on Friday, and a different kind of test
All of this builds into a tantalising third act in this opening run: Manchester City, champions, on a rare Friday night.
Taylor will carry more than just optimism into that game. He will take evidence—of patterns coming together, of players executing a clear plan, of a team that now expects to compete rather than simply survive.
If Liverpool do emerge from their first three games with the four points they initially targeted, the numbers alone won’t tell the full story. The real shift lies in how they are getting there: on the front foot, with authority, and with a growing sense that mid-table might not be the ceiling after all.
City will test that belief. The question now is whether Liverpool’s new-found edge can cut at the very top.
