After a dismal performance against Aston Villa on Thursday, Liverpool needed something positive out of the match with West Ham to feel like there was a chance of salvaging this season. The Hammers were just two points ahead of Liverpool, with a win getting the Reds out of the relegation spot.
Circumstances did not help Liverpool early on as Gemma Bonner was incorrectly shown a red card for Denial of a Goal Scoring Opportunity despite not being the last defender back. Down a player for over 80 minutes
and dealing with a shorthanded squad, it would not have been surprising to see the Reds fold. Instead, we saw a side that battled through and twice came from behind to earn a hard fought point. Below, we take a look at some winners and losers on the night, and attempt to disentangle narrative from fact.
Winners
Beata Olsson
I shudder to think where Liverpool would be without the Swedish striker. Olsson put in a massive shift up top, chasing down any ball she had the slightest of chance to get to, as well as serving as a one person pressing machine while Liverpool were down a player. She also saved a goal, clearing the ball of the line with her head.
Olsson ended up being involved in both Liverpool goals, springing Mia Enderby for the first with a perfect knockdown header and then scoring the second herself after sprinting to pick off a loose pass and finishing off a 1v1 opportunity. She now has 5 goals and 1 assist this season in her 7 WSL starts this season.
Mia Enderby
The young striker has often frustrated Liverpool supporters, displaying flashes of attacking talent with the ball at her feet, but lacking the end product. Enderby finally scored her first WSL goal of her career in her third season with Liverpool. She made the run to get on the end of Beata Olsson’s flicked header and made no mistake with her left-footed finish for the opening Liverpool goal against West Ham.
Jenna Clark
The Scottish defender did a great job to marshal the defense and provide a rearguard when needed. She made 12 clearances and led everyone with 18 defensive contributions on the day according to FotMob. She was perfect in the air as she won 5 of 5 duels, and also won 6 of 7 ground duels.
Grit and Determination
Liverpool absolutely capitulated to Aston Villa just three days ago, putting forth a sluggish and error prone performance that saw the Reds thoroughly embarrassed. With a shorthanded squad due to injuries and on short rest, there was a legitimate worry that Liverpool would be poor again against West Ham. While it wasn’t a perfect match by any standards, there was a heart shown by the squad that had been missing. Players worked for each other and refused to let the situation or the moment get to them after going down a player and then down a goal twice. There is plenty still that needs to be done to make this side consistently competitive, but if the squad can play with this level of grit and determination going forward, there is still a chance to get something out of this season and avoid a relegation play off.
Losers
The Referee
I understand that referees are human, and they are bound to make mistakes. This was a massive error to make, however, and one that should never have been made if there had been communication between the other referees. Gemma Bonner was shown a red for the DOGSO as the last player back after fouling Riko Ueki. Jenna Clark was actually deeper than Bonner when the foul was made, and just on the other side of Ueki, literally a meter away from Bonner. It was a shocking decision that changed the face of the match, and there is still no VAR to correct egregious mistakes like this. In a relegation battle, a decision like that could easily mean the difference between staying up or being relegated.
Gemma Bonner
While the referee was wrong to show Bonner a red card in the situation, there was no need to go to ground to make a tackle as Ueki was bracketed by two defenders. This was Bonner’s first appearance since going down with a concussion back in mid-October, so rust may have played a factor in the decision making. I would hope that Liverpool appeal the red card to get Bonner reinstated.
Hannah Silcock
The young defender came on as a sub after the Gemma Bonner red card, but had to be subbed off herself in the second half after taking a knock. Silcock has struggled to stay fit through her young career, and this is the second match in a row that she has had to come off early with a knock. She has bags of talent, but it still remains to be seen if she can stay healthy enough to play a significant role.
Gaining Ground
Despite the moral victory of coming back twice while down a player, this was still a huge missed opportunity in the relegation battle. A draw keeps Liverpool within two points of West Ham, but the Reds still have yet to pick up a league win and remain behind the Hammers going into 2026.
From the Manager
“You have to be careful with appeals. Sometimes if they go against the appeal, they can make the ban even longer, so I’m not too sure. This is where we would like the officials to be able to express themselves with the decisions they make afterwards and stand in front of a camera like we do. We all get things wrong… we just would like a bit of a better understanding. Of course, if we had the technology, we would look back on that today straight away and see it’s not a red card situation.”
Gareth Taylor on if Liverpool will appeal Gemma Bonner’s red card
What Happens Next
Liverpool will have wrapped up league play for 2025, but they still have one more match this calendar year. The Reds will host Chelsea next Sunday for a knockout match in the Women’s League Cup before going on their winter break. The club is expected to be busy in the January window, so hopefully there will be reinforcements arriving with time to get bedded in before Liverpool return to face London City on January 11.
