The Merseyside derby is always a special occasion, but Sunday’s meeting between Liverpool and Everton Women promises to be particularly significant, with the new-look hosts welcoming their local rivals to Anfield for the first WSL derby of the 2026/27 season.
The Reds have made a positive start to the campaign, while cross-the-park rivals have also picked up some impressive results and currently sit above Gareth Taylor’s side in the early league table.
Another interesting footnote to the clash will be the attendance of Reds’ boss Andoni Iraola, who is heading to the match with his family, something Taylor described as a ‘nice gesture’ and showing ‘alignment’ at the club.
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Ahead of the big game, Liverpool midfielder Zara Shaw, fresh off the back of returning from representing England at the U20 World Cup, spoke to Michael Plant about her thoughts, feelings and hopes ahead of the latest instalment of a huge occasion…
Excited for such a huge match? “Yeah, definitely. I think as a group, we’re all really looking forward to it, and I think as players it’s probably the first fixture we look for when they get announced. It’s an exciting time, and to be at Anfield, I think it’ll be a good day.”
Biggest match of the season? “I think even more so for me being a local girl, and I know the rivalry of the derby. I think it’s always an exciting fixture, so hopefully we can make it a good day for the fans.”
Growing up, was it the match you looked forward to most? “Yeah, definitely, especially being from around the area and growing up with obviously a Scouse family. Yeah, it’s definitely, definitely a big fixture and it’ll be exciting.”
Have you got family coming this weekend going to the match? “Yeah, of course. They’re always in full force and very proud, so yeah.”
Does Anfield make the game that bit more special for you? “Yeah, absolutely. I think I heard Grace Fisk say it in another interview, and hearing You’ll Never Walk Alone at Saint Helens is special, but I feel like at Anfield, you get the shivers a bit and it’s special. So yeah, hopefully the fans can turn up, and we can give them a good day.”
Scoring at the Kop, how special was that? “It was probably a little bit unexpected. Last game of the season probably didn’t really expect to come on, but I was ready if I was called upon, and yeah, it was a nice moment, scoring in front of the Kop. It’s special. “
What are you expecting from Everton this weekend? “I think they’ve had a good start to the season; they’ve had a few good results. But the way the league is now, I think it’s very competitive. I think everyone you play is going to be difficult in different ways, but I think we have definitely got what it takes to break them down and hopefully cause them a few problems. Yeah, it should be exciting.”
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Stylistic matchup between the teams? “Yeah, like you just said, I think we’re both quite different teams, and the results have gone both different ways. It’ll be tough, of course it will, and with the heightened emotions of it being the derby and stuff like that, it’s going to be a tough game. I think as a group, we’re all feeling good going into the game and very confident.”
Difficult to not be swept up by the occasion? “Yeah, I think it’s that cliché thing: just play the game, not the occasion. Like, as much as it is a big day and it’s very exciting, we’ll prepare for it like we would any other game. Go through our normal processes and focus on us, but also have a little look at them as we normally would. It doesn’t change anything for us in terms of the preparation that we do. And yeah, we’ll just be very as we normally would.”
How do you feel? Does your season kickstart now? “Personally, I feel good. I think I had a good preseason here with the team and then obviously went away with England and got some consistent minutes under my belt, which was beneficial coming back from injury last year. Getting consistent minutes was valuable for me, and then obviously playing midweek [against Charlton] was positive. I think it’s an exciting start of the season for me personally, and hopefully we can just kick on from then. As I say, as a group, we’re all excited for the weekend and looking forward to it.”
Importance of picking up three wins? “The aim is to always win the game and pick up three points, but that’s football. Sometimes it’s a roller coaster, and we know from last season, us being so up and down, and we had a tough start of the season with everything going on. But I think we’re feeling very good as a group and very confident going into the game. Hopefully we can get the three points, and it’ll put us in a good place after the international break.”
