Liverpool boss Matt Beard hailed his team's strong start to the Women's Super League season after Sunday's 2-1 victory over Leicester kept them in touch with the leading pack. 

Melissa Lawley opened the scoring for the hosts three minutes after the interval, with Missy Goodwin getting the visitors back on level terms nine minutes later before Marie Hobinger's 84th-minute left-footed strike proved decisive in what was largely a scrappy encounter. 

The result lifted Liverpool to within touching distance of the top three — three points behind leaders Chelsea and three points clear of Leicester in seventh. 

Beard, who was managing his 150th game in the WSL, said: "It was definitely deserved and definitely hard-fought. 

"They're physical and I thought when we played them last season we should have won comfortably and today we should have been out of sight. 

"When you don't convert your chances, it just needs a bit of magic from them. I was pleased with how we matched them and we didn't allow them to get into a rhythm."

 Liverpool were almost left to rue a series of missed opportunities when Leicester winger Goodwin levelled with a superb strike nine minutes after Lawley had blasted the hosts in front. 

But Beard believes the Reds could be even better placed in the table. 

He added: "It's a great start. But we should have beaten West Ham and then it would have been 12 points out of 15. 

"We know the potential the team has got."

Leicester manager Willie Kirk admits his team got what they deserved. 

He said: "I thought the best team won, without a doubt. I've not got a huge amount of complaints. 

"We never managed to get into any sort of rhythm — it was a struggle to find solutions at times."