New signings help Liverpool spark to life but real test awaits

Perhaps this is what Liverpool needed.

The Reds have had little fun this season after going 12 Women’s Super League games without winning and coming in with just four points.

Chelsea’s 9-1 defeat in the League Cup quarter-finals last month made it seem like the team was at rock bottom, with recovery a distant possibility.

However, the women’s FA Cup fourth-round victory over the fourth-tier London Bees on Sunday finally provided a moment of hope for a terrible campaign.

Five different players, including three new signings, were on the scoresheet in the Bees’ 6-0 defeat, much to the delight of manager Gareth Taylor.

In less than a day, Denise O’Sullivan, a midfielder from the United States, opened the scoring, while Martha Thomas, a striker on loan from Tottenham, also made an appearance with a headed goal on her debut.

The team’s first victory since a 4-1 defeat at Sheffield United in the League Cup on November 22nd, with the addition of Alice Bergstrom, who made the move from Hacken earlier this month.

With the pedigree of their new arrivals on display against the National League Division One South East side, Liverpool’s FA Cup victory demonstrated that their January signings can change the club’s vibe.

O’Sullivan, who has played for the Republic of Ireland 128 times, won three NWSL titles with the Courage and the NWSL Challenge Cup in 2022 and 2023.

She said after signing that Liverpool is a “massive club,” and that having a club as big as Liverpool entails a “massive responsibility.”

“I want to help this team, and it’s crucial for me to get results, so I’m here to have an impact.”

Thomas, 29, has demonstrated WSL experience by scoring 13 goals in 66 games for Tottenham, proving that he has done so.

Before the FA Cup match, Thomas said, “I know Gareth from his time at Manchester City and how talented he is as a coach.”

“Playing under a coach who is an ex-striker drew me,” I said. Other than the draw of being a fan of Liverpool, that is what brought me here.

As they get ready for a crucial second half of the season, the Reds have strengthened in important ways with fellow January additions Anna Josendal, Jennifer Falk, and Bergstrom.

Trueman, however, added another lift on a day when the senior recruits delivered.

She surpassed Lucy Parry’s previous record of 16 years and 150 days to become the youngest player in Liverpool’s history at just 16 years and 88 days.

The teenager mistakenly thought she had scored when she fired home a close-range goal, which was later rejected for offside, while Bees goalkeeper Tia Ginn at another time denied her dream debut.

Taylor will be aware that the WSL is the real test, of course.

Liverpool’s winless Reds are still in danger of delegation, but with new signings departing, promising young academy players, and a cup win that will give them some much-needed confidence, they could use that as a springboard to launch a real survival push.

West Ham are only one point ahead of them with ten games left, while Everton and Leicester are both within striking distance of each other, who are four and five points ahead.