It was a perfect evening for football at Midgley Park — not a cloud in the sky, the sun shining brightly, and temperatures hovering around a warm 23 degrees. Linfield Women were back on home soil and aiming for their first win of the campaign after an opening-day draw away to Cliftonville.

Manager Ryan McConville kept faith in the same starting eleven that impressed at Solitude on Friday night, and his side started on the front foot, applying early pressure to the Crusaders defence. Despite dominating the opening exchanges, the Blues found it difficult to break down a resilient Crusaders backline.

That changed in the 27th minute when Alex Clarke produced a moment of magic. From the right touchline, Clarke sent a superbly looped effort over the goalkeeper and into the net — a stunning goal to open the scoring.

The lead was doubled not long after when Cora Chambers showed great composure in the box, turning sharply and placing her shot beyond the reach of the Crusaders goalkeeper. It was a clinical finish and gave Linfield a deserved 2-0 lead at the break.

Crusaders came out with renewed intent in the second half, pushing hard to get back into the game. Their pressure paid off in the 70th minute when Michelle McDaid struck well to reduce the deficit and set up a tense final 20 minutes.

But Linfield’s defence stood firm, showing discipline and determination to see out the match and secure all three points. The win maintains the Blues’ unbeaten start to the season and gives them momentum heading into the next fixture.

Full-Time: Linfield Women 2-1 Crusaders Strikers
Scorers: Clarke (27′), Chambers (35′), McDaid (70′)

Up next for Linfield Women it’s Sligo Rovers in the All-Island Cup.