“Maybe it was written in the stars.”
That was how manager Matt Beard reflected on Liverpool’s promotion back to the Women’s Super League – eight years after he led them to back-to-back titles in the top flight.
They wrapped up the Women’s Championship title on Sunday with a 4-2 win over Bristol City in front of a league-record 5,752 crowd who created a carnival atmosphere at Ashton Gate.
It felt like a pivotal moment in the club’s illustrious history because it marked a return to England’s elite after several years of turbulence on and off the pitch.
Liverpool’s women’s team were relegated on a points-per-game basis in 2020 because of Covid-19 – in the same season their men’s team won the Premier League.
There was criticism over a lack of investment, scrutiny of poor facilities and, even when Beard returned to the club last summer, there was player unrest.
Having failed to secure promotion back to the WSL at the first time of asking, the pressure was on Beard and his staff to deliver. When that moment finally came on Sunday, there was an outpouring of emotion from fans, players and staff.
“You can see the atmosphere over there,” said Beard, as he stood pitchside drenched in water after an ice bucket had been thrown over him during celebrations.
“That’s what it is like day-in, day-out. The players work hard. All the staff work incredibly hard. They deserve it.
“Everyone thought Liverpool would go straight back up [to the WSL] but nobody has a divine right to be anywhere. You have to earn the right and we have this year.”