Mixed emotions for Liverpool following late defeat to Manchester City says Bonner | OneFootball

Liverpool defender Gemma Bonner admitted that there were mixed emotions following her side’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester City at Anfield this afternoon.

The Reds took a first half lead through Olivia Smith but Manchester City fought back in the second half and Khadija Shaw’s double turned the game on its head.

When speaking to the media after the match, Bonner said that there were positives and negatives to come from Liverpool’s performance.

“Yeah, we are obviously disappointed,” Bonner said. “The girls put in a tremendous effort today. We knew City were going to make us work hard and dominate the ball but the shape and desire we showed as a team was great.

“The two goals they scored in the second half, we’ll probably look back and think we could have defended them better.

“On the whole, we can take a lot of positives out of the game but of course, we want to be winning. There’s a lot of disappointment within the group but there are also a lot of things to be proud of.”

Liverpool were defeated 5-1 and 4-1 by Manchester City last season and Bonner did feel that The Reds competed much better against The Cityzens this time around.

She said “It was about managing the moments. We were aware that last year, when we conceded, the second and the third [goals] came in quick succession. It was something that we had spoken about before the game but I think today, we have shown that we can compete. If we can use the ball a bit better, we can probably create more chances and hurt these teams.”

Liverpool lost the services of goalscorer Smith to injury at half-time but Bonner was proud of the collective effort from the squad.

She said “Yeah, obviously Olivia was fantastic in the first half and was a real outlet for us.

“We have a strong squad for a reason. For Mia [Enderby] to come on at half-time and perform the way she did, she settled so quickly. We have still got a young squad but it’s exciting. Everyone was supporting each other whether they were on the pitch or not.

“We know they are a top side and you have to be the best, to beat the best. We’re devastated in the way we conceded in the last few minutes but we’ll bounce back and be ready to go again next week.”

Liverpool’s next Barclays Women’s Super League fixture is against Crystal Palace in St Helens on Sunday.