Match report

London City Lionesses Defeat Liverpool W 1-0 in FA WSL Thriller

London City Lionesses
London City Lionesses
1–0
FT
Liverpool W
Liverpool W
Oct 5, 2025

London City Lionesses narrowly edged out Liverpool W with a 1-0 victory in the FA WSL, thanks to Elena Linari's 89th-minute penalty. Despite a tough start, the Lionesses held off Liverpool's strong second-half push to secure the win. Key moments included two early yellow cards for London City Lionesses and a flurry of substitutions as the game progressed.

Key Facts

  • • Final score: London City Lionesses 1-0 Liverpool W
  • • Elena Linari scored the only goal from the penalty spot in the 89th minute
  • • Two early yellow cards for London City Lionesses players G. Geyoro and N. Parris
  • • Several substitutions were made by both teams, with Liverpool W substituting B. Olsson and S. Haug
  • • Liverpool W's Rafaela Borggräfe and M. Höbinger also received yellow cards

Lineups

London City Lionesses

Formation: 4-4-2

Starting XI

  • 77 Elene Lete (G)
  • 2 Jana Fernandez (D)
  • 26 Wassa Sangaré (D)
  • 13 Elena Linari (D)
  • 7 Lucia Corrales (D)
  • 15 Sanni Franssi (M)
  • 8 Saki Kumagai (M)
  • 88 Grace Geyoro (M)
  • 17 Nikita Parris (M)
  • 23 Isobel Goodwin (F)
  • 9 Kosovare Asllani (F)

Substitutes

  • 14 Freya Godfrey
  • 16 Julia Elisabeth Roddar
  • 19 Lotta Lindström
  • 33 Alanna Kennedy
  • 28 Sophie Hillyred
  • 22 Cerys Brown
  • 6 María Pérez
  • 25 Rofiat Imuran
  • 21 Katie Zelem

Liverpool W

Formation: 4-1-4-1

Starting XI

  • 12 Rafaela Borggräfe (G)
  • 4 Grace Fisk (D)
  • 23 Gemma Bonner (D)
  • 17 Jenna Clark (D)
  • 5 Risa Shimizu (D)
  • 8 Fuka Nagano (M)
  • 18 Ceri Holland (M)
  • 24 Samantha Kerr (M)
  • 14 Marie Theresa Höbinger (M)
  • 7 Cornelia Kapocs (M)
  • 13 Mia Enderby (F)

Substitutes

  • 11 Beata Olsson
  • 10 Sophie Haug
  • 22 Faye Kirby
  • 6 Emilia Szymczak
  • 34 Hannah Silcock
  • 3 Gemma Evans
  • 19 Kirsty Maclean
  • 15 Sofie Lundgaard

Timeline

  1. London City Lionesses
    18' London City Lionesses Card · Yellow Card
    G. Geyoro

    Foul

  2. London City Lionesses
    24' London City Lionesses Card · Yellow Card
    N. Parris

    Foul

  3. Liverpool W
    62' Liverpool W subst · Substitution 1
    Off: M. Enderby · On: B. Olsson
  4. London City Lionesses
    66' London City Lionesses subst · Substitution 1
    Off: S. Franssi · On: Freya Godfrey
  5. London City Lionesses
    82' London City Lionesses subst · Substitution 2
    Off: G. Geyoro · On: L. Lindstrom
  6. London City Lionesses
    82' London City Lionesses subst · Substitution 3
    Off: K. Asllani · On: J. Roddar
  7. Liverpool W
    86' Liverpool W Card · Yellow Card
    Rafaela Borggräfe

    Foul

  8. London City Lionesses
    89' London City Lionesses Goal · Penalty
    Elena Linari
  9. Liverpool W
    90'+7 Liverpool W Card · Yellow Card
    M. Höbinger

    Foul

  10. London City Lionesses
    90' London City Lionesses subst · Substitution 4
    Off: N. Parris · On: A. Kennedy
  11. Liverpool W
    90' Liverpool W subst · Substitution 2
    Off: C. Kapocs · On: S. Haug

Match Stats

Stat London City Lionesses Liverpool W
Fouls 8 11
Pass Accuracy 83% 80%
Offsides 3 3
Red Cards — —
Total Shots 9 3
Corners 1 1
Total Passes 479 437
Yellow Cards 2 2
Blocked Shots 1 0
Shots on Target 5 1
xG — —
Shots off Target 3 2
Possession 52% 48%
Goals Prevented — —
Accurate Passes 399 351
Shots Inside Box 9 1
Saves 1 3
Shots Outside Box 0 2

Key Match Notes

  • ▸ The game shifted in favor of London City Lionesses when they secured the penalty in the 89th minute, capitalizing on a late Liverpool W mistake
  • ▸ Substitutions in the second half by both teams, notably London City Lionesses' Freya Godfrey and Liverpool W's S. Haug, impacted the game's momentum