Liverpool got their Barclays Women’s Super League campaign off to a convincing start as they came away from The Valley with a 4-0 win over newly-promoted Charlton Athletic.
The Reds set the tone from the opening stages and were rewarded inside eight minutes. Cornelia Kapocs’ cross confused the Charlton defence, with Sophie Whitehouse unable to hold onto the ball, leaving Grace Fisk with a straightforward finish.
The home side gradually found their feet, and Ellie Mason had an opportunity to respond, while Whitehouse later kept her side within touching distance with an outstanding double save to deny Ceri Holland.
Liverpool remained in control after the interval and extended their lead through Fisk once again. The captain showed her quality from outside the box, meeting Vivien Endemann’s cutback before sending a curling effort beyond Whitehouse.
Endemann then marked her competitive debut in style, reacting quickest to a loose ball before producing a powerful finish to put the visitors firmly in command.
Despite the scoreline, Charlton continued to look for positives on their return to the WSL. Karen Hills’ side showed some promising moments from set pieces and introduced several players making their competitive debuts, while Ashleigh Neville also impressed in an unfamiliar role at right wing-back.
Liverpool, though, continued to threaten and nearly added a fourth through Fisk, whose header narrowly missed the target.
There was still time for one final piece of action as Natalia Ramos was brought down inside the Charlton box in added time. Kapocs took responsibility from the penalty spot and made no mistake, completing a comfortable afternoon for Liverpool.
For Gareth Taylor’s side, it was an ideal opening to the campaign, while Charlton can take encouragement from aspects of their performance despite a challenging first outing back in the top flight.
