Liverpool emerged victorious against Brighton in the Women’s Super League, with Ceri Holland scoring the winning goal before receiving a red card.

Ceri Holland’s goal and subsequent red card stole the headlines as Liverpool secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Brighton in the Women’s Super League. The match was not short of drama, with both teams creating chances and displaying their attacking prowess.

Brighton started brightly, hitting the woodwork twice in the first half through Elisabeth Terland and Poppy Pattinson. However, Liverpool dominated possession, enjoying 53% of the ball and coming close to scoring themselves.

Just before the end of the first half, Marie-Therese Hobinger’s cross found Sophie Roman Haug, who narrowly missed the target with her header. The half-time break saw referee Amy Fearn being replaced by Emily Heaslip due to an injury.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 53rd minute when Sophie Baggaley, Brighton’s goalkeeper, lost possession near her own box. Holland seized the opportunity and calmly slotted the ball into the corner, giving Liverpool the lead.

Brighton pushed for an equalizer, with Terland almost setting up Katie Robinson, but Grace Fisk made a crucial intervention to deny her a shot on goal. Julia Olme also had a long-range effort that failed to trouble Liverpool’s goalkeeper, Rachael Laws.

Liverpool had a late chance to seal the victory when Leanne Kiernan’s cross from the left wing found Emma Koivisto, but she failed to hit the target, sending the ball well over.

However, Holland’s late challenge on Olme resulted in a second yellow card for the goalscorer, leading to a nervy few minutes for Liverpool. Nevertheless, they held on to claim all three points, moving up to fifth place in the league, just two points behind Manchester United.

On the other hand, Brighton find themselves second from bottom with 12 points, six points clear of last-placed Bristol City. The action continues later on Sunday, with Everton taking on West Ham, Tottenham facing Aston Villa, and Leicester City welcoming Bristol City.