Manchester United Women kept their perfect record in the Players Cup with a 5-3 win at Liverpool, and it was a good deal wilder than the first hour suggested. United were four goals clear and cruising before Cornelia Kapocs scored a hat-trick for the hosts and gave the final minutes some real tension at St Helens Stadium.
Schuller and Griffiths build the lead
Lea Schuller poked in United's opener after 11 minutes. Then, just before the break, 19-year-old Wales international Mared Griffiths added two goals in quick succession to make it 3-0 at half-time. The visitors went in at the break with the game in hand.
Jusu Bah's solo goal
The pick of the bunch was the fourth. Monica Jusu Bah, the Swedish summer signing from Hacken, who cost around £400,000, ran from the halfway line and rifled a finish into the top right corner for 4-0. It was the kind of goal that makes a transfer fee look like a bargain, although we should say that this is our own opinion and not something the club has said.
Kapocs makes it nervy
Kapocs pulled one back for Liverpool in the 76th minute, but United replied almost at once. Captain Maya Le Tissier finished well to restore the four-goal cushion at 5-1. Kapocs then scored twice more in the final 10 minutes, which completed her hat-trick and made the scoreline look closer than the game had been, though it did little to rescue Gareth Taylor's side.
Eva Olid's side have now won all three of their Players Cup matches, formerly known as the Women's League Cup, by an aggregate score of 20-5. They sit top of the table on goal difference ahead of Aston Villa and London City Lionesses, who also kept their 100% records on Wednesday with wins against Burnley and West Ham respectively.
Match facts: Liverpool Women 3-5 Manchester United Women, Players Cup, St Helens Stadium, 21 October 2026. United goals: Schuller 11, Griffiths (two, just before half-time), Jusu Bah, Le Tissier. Liverpool goals: Kapocs 76 and two more in the last 10 minutes.
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