36 min: Clark cleans up at the back for Liverpool after García chases a ball over the top. The United forward was offside anyway.

34 min: Both sides gift each other the ball rather easily as Holland pings in a cross from the left that is dealt with by United’s defence.

32 min: United’s brightest bit of play so far as Le Tissier pings a ball into the middle before García is played in to cross from the right. No one is there on the end of it.

19 min: Höbinger delivers a Liverpool corner from the right – it’s low and booted away for a throw. Liverpool work it back into the box as United’s defence goes to sleep, with Koivisto popping out of nowhere to get on the end of a bouncing ball … she heads on to the post and can’t react quick enough for the rebound, sending it wide.

17 min: Now it’s Earps’ turn to show off her work; the ball drops kindly for Holland on the edge after a Liverpool free-kick into the box is diverted away, and Earps moves to her left to palm away the effort.

15 min: … Micah saves again! Naalsund gets a head on the corner, it’s blocked in the mix of shirts and Turner launches a powerful hit through the traffic that the Liverpool keeper gets in the way of.

14 min: Fisk’s clearance goes wrong, providing United with a corner.

13 min: Holland displays the first real bit of quality in the game, pulling off a neat turn in midfield before launching a left-footed hit from range that just went over Earps and the bar.

12 min: Hinds hassles down the left for Liverpool but can’t stop United from collecting a goal kick. Earps’ flat hit is poor and meets a Liverpool head as the ball stays in the United half.

10 min: Holland skips down the left for Liverpool before Hinds has a go from outside the box, Earps saving after an awkward bounce in front of her.

9 min: Earps collects easily from the free-kick. This game is lacking in rhythm at the moment.

8 min: Liverpool win a free-kick out on the left and are going to try and pump it long into the box.

7 min: Evans pushes forward to disrupt Koivisto but Liverpool survive United’s high press and win a free-kick in the centre circle.

4 min: Koivisto crunches into Evans on the right-hand side for Liverpool before United work it back to Earps. And then, suddenly, Galton finds herself slipped in, one on one, with Micah to beat inside the box. The United No 11 fires straight at the keeper, her effort lacking in power and accuracy. United really should be one up.

2 min: A scrappy opening minute is followed by United winning a free-kick in the centre circle. Long punts and little on the floor to begin with.

United get things underway, moving from right to left on my screen.

The players bump fists, You’ll Never Walk Alone rings around Prenton Park. We’re a couple minutes away from kick-off.

Sarah Rendell’s got an eye on the title fight. Can Arsenal do Emma Hayes a massive favour (even if that means the Gunners briefly move ahead of Chelsea)?

Liverpool fought back from conceding an early goal to earn a surprise win over Manchester United, the women’s side’s first-ever win over their rivals. Ella Toone slotted home in just the third minute, before Melvine Malard fired into the side netting with the goal at her mercy moments later.

The hosts were punished for not taking more of their chances in the 33rd minute, as Melissa Lawley’s fine cross from the right was headed into her own goal by Millie Turner, under pressure from Emma Koivisto. Turner made amends in the second half, blocking Ceri Holland’s shot, but Liverpool did go ahead in the 68th minute.

From a corner, substitute Shanice van de Sanden’s delivery caused chaos in the United defence and the Liverpool captain, Taylor Hinds, hooked the ball home. After a lengthy stoppage for a head injury to Gemma Bonner, who was helped off the pitch, Katie Zelem went closest to a leveller with a fierce shot, parried away by Teagan Micah.

Marc Skinner is next to talk, and he offers a scathing assessment of his United side’s performance. “We lost on the fundamentals. Liverpool are not nice to play against, and we didn’t match that – we were too passive in the final third.

“You can play all the pretty football you want, you need to win headers. It’s not good enough. We can’t blame fatigue. It’s desire to win the ball, to go and compete. We can’t be beaten like that. When they come back from the break, they had better be fired up.”

On the goal, she says: “Normally I’m on the edge of the box, but I had a feeling I would score today!” On Gemma Bonner’s injury, she adds: “I haven’t heard anything, the fact she walked off the pitch … hopefully she’ll be alright. She’s a tough girl.”

It was tight but Liverpool just about deserved the victory in the end. United were a long way from their best, especially considering they took the lead so early on but Liverpool recovered after their slow start.