Sports
Liverpool pay tribute to Matt Beard on return to WSL action
ST HELENS, England — Among the sea of flags decorating St Helens’ Stadium during Liverpool‘s Women’s Super League (WSL) clash with Manchester United, there was one particularly poignant addition.
“Liverpool was made for Matt and Matt was made for Liverpool,” read the banner, displayed in tribute to the hosts’ former manager Matt Beard, who passed away last weekend at the age of 47.
Just eight days on from that devastating news, Liverpool fell to a 2-0 defeat to United on Merseyside thanks to goals from Hinata Miyazawa and Ella Toone. But, for head coach Gareth Taylor and his players, the challenges surrounding Sunday’s game extended far beyond matters on the pitch.
Fourteen of the 20 players in Liverpool’s matchday squad played under Beard before he was dismissed in February, following a string of disappointing results. Eight members of the team that started against United were signed by Beard, while more than half of defender Gemma Bonner‘s 200 WSL appearances — a landmark she reached on Sunday — came under him at Chelsea and across two separate spells at Liverpool.
– Thakur: OL Lyonnes have spent big, but will it cause issues?
– Kassouf: Alex Morgan aims for the same heights in business
It was during that first period on Merseyside that both Beard and Bonner helped to deliver the club’s first ever WSL title in 2013, which they successfully defended the following season. The Liverpool fans in attendance against United honoured that feat with chants of “Matt Beard’s Mighty Reds” in the 13th and 14th minutes.
To many of those supporters, Beard was not just a football manager but a friend. After games at the club’s former stadium, Prenton Park — where they played until 2024, he could regularly be found signing autographs long after the final whistle, before joining fans for a postmatch drink at the pub next door.
It was a level of familiarity that defied Beard’s status as one of the most high-profile and successful managers in WSL history. But, in many ways, it was that easy-going persona which set him apart from his contemporaries and won the affections of so many within the women’s game.
“It’s rare for a football manager to be so loved by so many players,” Liverpool captain Grace Fisk said in a heartfelt tribute posted to the club’s website this week. “He coached hundreds of players but had interactions with many more and he just had this way of drawing people to him.
“We saw how competitive he was on the sidelines, so loud, rowdy and shouting your ears off one minute but then joking with you about it 20 minutes later. He just had this warmth about him and he cared so much about people. If you were playing badly or had a bad training session, he’d make you feel like your worries were just silly. I think the effect he had on everyone was really special.”
Indeed, the outpouring of emotion that has greeted Beard’s passing speaks volumes about the contributions he made to the world of women’s football. The London-born coach, affectionately dubbed “Beardy” by those who knew him, managed seven different clubs across a distinguished 17-year career, and played an integral role in advancing the professionalism of the women’s game.
After leaving Liverpool in 2015, he enjoyed spells in charge of NWSL side Boston Breakers as well as West Ham United and Bristol City. He rejoined the Reds in 2021 when the club was at its lowest ebb, having been relegated to the second tier the year prior.
With Beard back at the helm, Liverpool immediately secured promotion back to the top flight and, in the 2023-24 season, defied expectations by finishing in the top four despite their limited transfer budget. He helped turn Liverpool’s fortunes around and, in doing so, left an indelible mark, not just on the club but on the sport in general.
“I felt that [the players] all dealt with the emotion of it beautifully,” United boss Marc Skinner said after his team’s victory. “What I’d say, though, is there’s time for sadness, but we need to celebrate Matt’s life. I know [Beard’s wife] Debbie was in the stands and I know that she will want everybody to remember Matt exactly how he was in front of everyone.
“So, I promised everyone that I’ll keep talking about him in our environment so the memory of him will live strong. And so, as sad as it is, I think it’s now time to turn that into the happiness and remember him in the best possible way because he was an incredible human.”
For Liverpool, the task at hand is now clear. The Reds are yet to collect a point in the WSL this term — despite winning 5-0 against Sunderland in the League Cup in midweek — and the need to start picking up results is becoming increasingly pressing.
Of course, achieving success at this level is much easier said than done, but the resilience Liverpool showed in the second half should, at least, inspire optimism that this team is up for the fight.
“I think this is a cracking group of people to work with,” Taylor said. “I think being at this club is super special. Each person who works here or plays here feels that, and I think there’s a lot of positives.
“The girls are excellent to work with, they really, really are. I think obviously now there’s a lot of transition going on; new staff, new way of playing potentially. Hopefully off the back of that there will be new expectations.
“That takes a little bit of time and trying to change the mindset here of the players a little bit. Trying to turn them into winners again, which we’ve been before under Matt, is a tough challenge.”
That challenge will continue when Liverpool take on free-spending London City Lionesses in the WSL next Sunday. A victory at Hayes Lane could mark the start of a new era under Taylor, though the memory of the man who laid the club’s foundations will live on forever.
The Phoenix Mercury are headed to the WNBA Finals. The Indiana Fever and Las Vegas Aces will play one more game to determine which team will face the Mercury.
No. 4 seed Phoenix overcame a 14-point deficit to eliminate the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx with an 86-81 victory on Sunday and advance to the Finals for the first time since 2021.
The Lynx dominated the standings throughout the season but lost back-to-back games in Phoenix, including a controversial ending to Friday’s Game 3, when star Napheesa Collier was injured. Collier missed Sunday’s deciding game, as did Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, who was suspended after getting ejected Friday and blasting officials in her postgame news conference.
On the other side of the bracket, the Fever beat the Aces 85-77 to force their semifinal series to Game 5 on Tuesday (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
Here’s how Phoenix won, and what to expect in the decisive Indiana-Las Vegas game.
MORE: Schedule | Coaching carousel | Offseason guide
Final: Phoenix 86, Minnesota 81
What the win means for Phoenix
The jubilation of winning the series and advancing to the franchise’s first WNBA Finals in four years also comes with a sigh of relief. Playing against the injury-laden Lynx, the Mercury got off to a slow start, missing their first six field goal attempts, giving Minnesota a sign of life it didn’t appear to have after the end of Friday’s game. But another fourth quarter comeback saved Phoenix from a return trip to Minnesota and a deciding Game 5.
Down by 14 in the first half and 13 entering the fourth quarter, Phoenix dominated the fourth quarter for a third consecutive game. Behind five 3-pointers, including two crucial deep shots from DeWanna Bonner, the Mercury outscored Minnesota 31-13 in the final 10 minutes.
It was the Mercury’s second 14-point comeback in the series. Alyssa Thomas was big in the fourth, scoring 10 of her 23 points. She also assisted on a Sami Whitcomb 3-pointer that brought Phoenix within 70-69 with 4:47 to play, and Bonner’s second 3 that pushed the lead to 77-73 with 2:02 remaining.
Reaching the Finals is a testament to the job general manager Nick U’Ren did in the offseason. He completely revamped the roster, keeping only Kahleah Copper and Natasha Mack, while bringing in Thomas and Satou Sabally. The chemistry came together in the biggest moments of the biggest games of the season.
0:23
Alyssa Thomas seals it with late jumper for Mercury
Alyssa Thomas knocks down the clutch shot to make it 81-76 vs. Lynx.
What the loss means for Minnesota
A season with only one mission — to win a championship — ends early. To not only fall short of that goal but see the season end one round earlier than last year is going to be difficult for the franchise to live with all offseason. That the Lynx played so well for 30 minutes in a game in which they didn’t have their star player or coach will be little consolation. Minnesota had complete control of this series until the fourth quarter of Game 2 on Tuesday; five days later its season is over.
All the disappointment will overshadow a brilliant performance by Kayla McBride, who scored a playoff career-high 31 points and tied a WNBA postseason record with six 3-pointers in the second half. Jessica Shepard, who played just eight minutes in Game 3, had 14 points and 7 rebounds in 36 minutes in place of Collier, giving the Lynx exactly what they needed to combat what had been a Mercury advantage on the inside for most of the series.
How do the Mercury prepare for the Finals?
Phoenix now has five days off before the start of the best-of-seven championship round and still won’t know its opponent until the Fever and Aces decide their Game 5 on Tuesday. This week, the Mercury will certainly take a look at how they’re starting games. Phoenix didn’t make a field goal for the first 4:47 on Sunday and scored just 14 first-quarter points. The Mercury trailed after the first quarter in three of the four games in the series. It’s nice to be the comeback kids and to have confidence late in games, but putting themselves in those situations is precarious. — Charlie Creme
Final: Indiana 90, Las Vegas 83
1:09
Fever take down Aces in Game 4 to even series
Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell combine for 49 points to boost the Fever to a win in Game 4 over the Aces.
What the win means for Indiana
A winner-take-all Game 5 on Tuesday in Las Vegas. Given all the injuries the Fever have dealt with this season, they’ll undoubtedly take it. And there’s no reason for Indiana not to believe in a possible win. The Fever already won at Michelob Ultra Arena in Game 1 and knocked off the Atlanta Dream in an identical situation in the first round.
Beyond those general factors, Indiana found something by playing through Aliyah Boston in Game 4. Having made just two free throws in the first three games of the series while scoring 28 total points, Boston smashed that total by going 10-for-13 from the line Sunday en route to 24 points — not to mention 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. At age 23, Boston is the youngest player in WNBA history with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in a playoff game according to ESPN Research.
What the loss means for Las Vegas
The Aces are also headed to their second deciding game in as many series, having survived an upset bid when the Seattle Storm missed at the buzzer in Game 3 of the opening round.
Although Vegas is a win away from hosting the WNBA Finals, this hasn’t been the kind of dominant playoff run we expected based on the Aces’ 16-game winning streak to end the regular season, which they stretched to 17 by winning their opening game against Seattle. Since then, Las Vegas has gone 3-3. If the Aces want to be favored against Phoenix in the Finals, they’ll need to show us something in Game 3.
Where else can the Aces find offense?
After A’ja Wilson struggled from the field in Las Vegas’ Game 3 win, she had no such trouble in scoring 31 points on 14-of-24 shooting on Sunday. The Aces’ backcourt of Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young also excelled with a combined 30 points and 18 assists, making five 3-pointers. But the three leading scorers combined for nearly three-quarters of Las Vegas’ 83 points.
The Aces’ bench totaled 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting, a problem given starter Kierstan Bell logged just six minutes. They’ve only had fewer points in one game so far this postseason — Game 3 against Seattle. — Kevin Pelton
Thirteen years after a scandal derailed his first stint as the Razorbacks’ coach, Petrino will take charge in the wake of Sam Pittman’s firing.
Source link
New York completed its collapse with a loss to the Miami Marlins on Sunday, helping the Cincinnati Reds clinch the final playoff spot before the postseason begins Tuesday.
Source link
How Phoenix reached the WNBA Finals, Indiana forced semifinals Game 5
Bad Bunny will headline the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show
Bobby Petrino — yes, that Bobby Petrino — is named interim Arkansas coach
-
Tech1 week agoAmericans would dominate board of new TikTok US entity: W.House
-
Fashion1 week agoTrützschler set to showcase textile tech at ITMA Asia 2025
-
Tech1 week agoIraq’s first industrial-scale solar plant opens in Karbala desert to tackle electricity crisis
-
Tech1 week agoEU to finalize probes into tech platforms soon: Commissioner
-
Tech1 week agoThe Best Hybrid Mattresses for Every Kind of Sleeper
-
Tech1 week agoHow to Clean a Kid’s Car Seat the Right Way
-
Fashion1 week agoBanking woes threaten Bangladesh’s RMG export momentum
-
Fashion1 week agoLFW Saturday: Patrick McDowell, Roksanda, Completedworks, The Ouze, and Lueder