Sunday's FA Cup semi-final didn't go as planned for Liverpool Women, and the disappointment is palpable. After building a promising 2-0 lead, the Reds saw Brighton storm back with three unanswered goals, ending their cup dreams once again at the semi-final stage. Brighton now heads to Wembley to face Manchester City Women, while Liverpool is left to reflect on what might have been.

"Tough to take," head coach Gareth Taylor admitted in his post-match interview. "We weren't great in the second half. Nor was the referee – I don't know if it's a penalty or not, but a lot of decisions went against us. There was a lot of inconsistency with yellow cards for us but not for Brighton, and those moments matter."

The match started with promise for Liverpool. They controlled the first half and looked comfortable, but a poorly conceded goal just before the break shifted the momentum. "We started the game really well, then conceded a poor goal from being 2-0 up," Taylor noted. "Brighton were better than us in the second half. They had numerous corners where we looked vulnerable, and we conceded from too many of them."

Brighton's halftime adjustments proved decisive. They pressed higher, disrupted Liverpool's rhythm, and took control of the game. The familiar ghost of late goals haunted the Reds again, as Nadine Noordham broke through multiple defenders in added time to seal the victory. "They just gained territory and got to grips with how we were playing, putting us under a lot of pressure," Taylor explained. "We then had to go a bit more direct, they regained possession, and started to hurt us with the ball. We started to suffer physically, and they gained momentum."

Taylor tried to stem the tide by bringing on Aurélie Csillag to apply more pressure and help maintain possession, but it wasn't enough to counter Brighton's second-half dominance. "It was a lot of control from Brighton in the second half, more than we would have liked," he added.

Despite the cup exit, there's a silver lining: Liverpool Women are mathematically safe from relegation. They now turn their focus to a blockbuster season finale against Arsenal Women at Anfield on May 16th – a chance to end the campaign on a high note in front of their home fans.