Liverpool Women Aim Higher After Spurs Draw
Liverpool Women entered the 2026-27 campaign with a simple, realistic calculation. Three games to start: newly promoted Charlton, mid-table Tottenham, and reigning FAWSL champions Manchester City. Four points from that run would have sounded sensible, maybe even ambitious, for a side trying to drag itself back into mid-table security.
They might still get there. The way they’re playing, they might feel short-changed if they only do.
The season began with a statement. A 4-0 dismantling of Charlton, ruthless and sharp, not just three points but a performance that hinted at something more substantial brewing. It nudged expectations up a notch. Liverpool looked organised, confident, and far more dangerous than the side that struggled last season.
Then came Tottenham.
Sunday’s 1-1 draw did not feel like a stalemate to the manager. It felt like a missed opportunity.
“I’m really proud of the performance,” 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 final action — the last pass, the clean strike, the right decision in the box — is all that separated Liverpool from a perfect start. The control was there. The territory was there. For long stretches after the break, Spurs were pinned 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 said. “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 justified. Liverpool dictated the rhythm, moved the ball with purpose, and squeezed Tottenham into uncomfortable spaces. The performance level matched, and at times exceeded, the optimism sparked in pre-season and on opening day.
Even if the table only shows four points from three games by the time they’ve faced Manchester City, that would already mark a significant step up from last season’s grind. The difference now is that Liverpool don’t just look like survivors. They look like a side intent on climbing.
Taylor knows why Spurs were a test. “There are a lot of elements of our game today that we’re really satisfied with,” he 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 adjusted, pressed higher, tried to disrupt Liverpool’s flow. Liverpool adapted back, tightened their grip, and kept coming. The pressure built, wave after wave, but the killer touch never quite arrived.
Now comes the real measuring stick: Manchester City, under the lights in a rare Friday kickoff. Liverpool head into that clash not just with points on the board, but with a clear identity beginning to show. The question is no longer whether they can stay out of trouble.
It’s how far this version of Liverpool can push the champions.
