Walking through the media entrance at Anfield for the first time felt surreal.
I’m not a Red, but some football grounds carry a weight that goes beyond who you support. Anfield is one of them.
I had been here before, but this was different. This time, I was walking in as accredited media, heading towards the press box to cover a Merseyside derby.
The difference from covering Liverpool Women at St Helens was noticeable almost immediately.
The media area was much busier. Earlier, I had asked one of the staff checking accreditation how busy it normally gets here on matchdays.
“Really busy,” she told me.
Looking around, I could see exactly what she meant.
There was a bigger crowd in the stands too, and when the line-ups were announced, every Liverpool name was greeted with loud applause.
Then came You’ll Never Walk Alone.
As the players emerged from the tunnel, it rang around Anfield. The supporters behind me sang it almost like a song of freedom.
Across the ground, Everton had brought plenty of their own support. A whole section near the corner flag was covered in blue.
It looked and sounded like a derby.
And within four minutes, Liverpool gave the home crowd something to celebrate.
Natalia Ramos delivered a corner, and Beata Olsson rose to meet it with a superb header to put Liverpool ahead.
Interestingly, Everton had looked the more threatening side in the opening few minutes. But one set-piece changed the mood. From there, Liverpool began asking most of the questions.
Alejandra Bernabé had the crowd enjoying themselves in the 17th minute when she teased an Everton defender near the corner flag. Every touch brought an “ayyyy” from the stands.
Cornelia Kapocs joined in later with a lovely nutmeg on Hannah Blundell.
And then came my own battle with the elements. The weather had already started changing, with a drizzle sending hoods up and jackets being zipped around the ground.
Then, in the 28th minute, a gust of wind lifted my team sheet straight off the desk. I had to leave my seat and chase it down a few steps.
“Good luck!” a woman sitting behind me shouted with a smile as I went after it.
Thankfully, it was recovered.
Back on the pitch, Everton struggled to create much after Liverpool’s opener. Hannah Cain did find a rare opening in the 33rd minute but fired over from inside the box.
Liverpool, meanwhile, continued to look the more likely to score. They could easily have gone into half-time two goals ahead, only for Everton goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan to make an important stop just before the whistle.
At the break, it was 1-0.
Half-time also meant another important assignment: coffee and a trip to the media food area to see whether Anfield could challenge the pie I had enjoyed at St Helens a couple of weeks earlier.
Then it was back outside, where the weather apparently couldn’t make up its mind.
Cloud. Drizzle. Sunshine. More rain. Then sunshine again.
Very Liverpool.
The second half brought more pressure from Everton, but Liverpool’s defence stood firm.
Grace Fisk, in particular, caught my eye throughout the afternoon.
There was something almost effortless about the Liverpool captain, both with and without the ball. Calm, composed and assured.
In the 60th minute, she produced the sort of moment captains are remembered for - a perfectly timed tackle inside her own penalty area to stop Everton when an equaliser looked possible.
At the other end, Liverpool striker Vivien Endemann was always willing to take on a defender. She never seemed afraid of the battle.
Liverpool nearly doubled their advantage in the 68th minute.
Bernabé saw an effort blocked for a corner before Marie Höbinger delivered the resulting set-piece. A Liverpool header flew into the side-netting and, from where I was sitting, plenty of supporters thought it had gone in.
For a split second, there were celebrations.
Then everyone realised.
Still 1-0.
By the 72nd minute, the rain was back, this time heavier. The Kop didn’t seem particularly bothered.
Allez, allez, allez continued through the rain.
Everton cleared another Liverpool effort off the line before the visitors finally created a huge opportunity of their own in the 84th minute.
Khiara Keating was there when Liverpool needed her, producing an excellent save from an Everton effort inside the box to protect the lead.
Two minutes later, the game was effectively over. A Liverpool move ended with the ball falling kindly to Kapocs inside the penalty area, and she finished to make it 2-0.
Four minutes of stoppage time followed before the whistle confirmed Liverpool’s 2-0 victory.
It was significant too.
Everton arrived at Anfield having won all five previous WSL Merseyside derbies played at the stadium. Liverpool had never beaten them here in the competition.
That run is over.
But when I think back on this derby, the score probably won’t be the first thing I remember.
I’ll remember walking through that media entrance for the first time. And yes, I’ll probably remember chasing a team sheet down the Anfield press box too.
My first assignment here had a little bit of everything. Most importantly, it had a story
