Alarming photos of Liverpool youngster Olivia Smith’s injuries have emerged after the club lodged a complaint to the PGMOL.
Since signing from Sporting last summer, Smith has been outstanding for Liverpool Women, starting all 12 WSL games and scoring four goals.
The 20-year-old has, though, been the subject of prolific physical encounters with opposition defenders, which manager Matt Beard described as “getting lumps kicked out of her.”
This has led to Smith’s father, Liverpool supporter Sean Smith, posting some of her most recent cuts and bruises online.
On January 17, after the Reds’ 2-1 win over Brighton in which Smith had to be taken off due to being “done in the ribs” off the ball, as Beard put it, the manager revealed Liverpool had complained to the PGMOL about her treatment before Christmas.
I really don’t say too much when players/teams play aggressively against Smitty…I get it but when you actually see the outcome and you see comments about she goes down easily…it actually makes me laugh! She’s actually a BEAST!!! ?? pic.twitter.com/dH4Ht6RMxW
— Sean Smith (@olivebird1978) January 28, 2025
Beard said: “We sent clips into Rebecca Welch (manager of the Select Group Women’s Professional Game) and the PGMOL just to show the treatment that she’s getting.
“I said to Olivia, ‘You need to take it as a compliment’, but I think at some point there’s only so much you can take and it’s clear for everyone to see.
“You know, it’s not just me, everyone can see it and you’ve only got to gauge our fans’ reaction in the first half.
“So I think at some point she’s probably going to get hurt if it’s not dealt with, and it should be dealt with from the first tackle, not let the first one go.
“We’re not back in the old days when Graeme Souness played and all them when you could get away with the first tackle. They should be penalised, the rules are the rules.”
How Olivia Smith responded
Before coming off in the aforementioned win over Brighton, Smith scored a fantastic solo goal for which she had shrug off Guro Bergsvand to finish past goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley.
She was also booked in the first half and, following the game, she admitted: “I definitely think it gets hard to not lose your head when that’s happening every single game, not just in a game like this (vs. Brighton).
“There are talks and stuff going on with the refs to make sure there’s actually protection, but there’s only so much that I can do, but I try to keep my cool as best as I can.
“Even Beardy said that to me in the locker room, ‘Just take it as a compliment’, and I’m like, ‘I’m trying!’
Simply stunning from Olivia Smith ???
The Canadian nets the first #BarclaysWSL goal of 2025! pic.twitter.com/MoHEPer04z
— Barclays Women's Super League (@BarclaysWSL) January 17, 2025
“It’s just something I’ve kind of gotten used to over the past couple of games, especially in this league. It’s probably the biggest league in the world so I mean, it’s definitely an honour to be getting fouled by players like these.”
Asked by This Is Anfield if she liked the emotional occasions, Smith said: “I wouldn’t say I enjoy it, I don’t like getting booked and things like that, especially when it’s something that’s just building up within the game and I don’t feel like it’s necessarily my fault.
“But I do enjoy it, I do enjoy it. I think it brings more excitement to the game and especially when they’re just talking in your ear, it just gets [me] more excited. Like I wanna go one vs. one at you now and yeah, it’s fun.”
Liverpool Women lost the following game 2-1 at Leicester, with Smith scoring again.
On Wednesday, January 29, they face West Ham in a rearranged FA Cup fourth-round match, before playing the Hammers again at the weekend in the league.
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