Matt Beard blames Sunday's icy pitch for injury to Liverpool star

Liverpool 0 West Ham 1

The controversy surrounding the frozen pitch at Sunday’s WSL game between Chelsea and Liverpool – which was belatedly abandoned after six minutes – resurfaced again as Liverpool manager Matt Beard revealed winger Shanice van de Sanden injured her knee after slipping on that icy Kingsmeadow surface and therefore missed Wednesday’s League Cup loss to West Ham United.

Beard, who felt Sunday’s game should never have started on grounds of player safety, said that he was “super frustrated” the Netherlands star picked up the injury which he blamed on the surface. Beard said he would not be taking the matter further but explained: “Shanice slipped in the warm-up [on Sunday] and she’s got a little twinge in her knee.” The decision not to postpone Sunday’s game earlier in the day has been widely criticised, after a weekend that saw half of the WSL's fixtures struck off.

Slightly warmer weather meant all three of Wednesday's League Cup ties could do ahead, and Liverpool were left crestfallen late on as Iceland midfielder Dagny Brynjarsdottir highlighted once again that she is one of the most dangerous aerial weapons in the women's game as she rose highest late on to head West Ham United into the semi-finals. The 31-year-old angled home Viviane Asseyi's near-post cross.

“It meant something to her,” West Ham manager Paul Konchesky said, of his captain. “We wanted to get to a semi-final and she took it by the scruff of the neck and took us there.”

West Ham will have their work cut out to go all the way, as only Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal have ever won this competition. Arsenal host Aston Villa in the fourth quarter-final on Thursday but Chelsea and holders Manchester City both progressed on Wednesday.

Manchester City highlighted the gulf between the WSL and the Women’s Championship, the second tier, as they coasted to a 6-0 win away at promotion-chasing Bristol City, who failed to register a shot on or off target.

Hayley Raso and Lauren Hemp both scored twice, with Bunny Shaw and Mary Fowler also on the scoresheet. Meanwhile, a Sam Kerr double either side of a clever Fran Kirby finish helped Chelsea win 3-1 away at out-of-form Tottenham.

Match details and ratings

Liverpool (4-3-3): Kirby 6; Koivisto 5 (Robe 6, 45), Bonner 6 (Matthews 5, 90+1), Fahey 7, Hinds 6; Kearns 7, Nagano 7 (Furness 6, 90+1), Holland 6 (Lundgaard 6, 66); Daniels 6, Stengel 7, Lawley 6 (Campbell 6, 66)

Subs not used: Laws (gk), Humphrey, Cumings, Taylor

Yellow cards: Daniels

West Ham United (4-5-1): Arnold 7; Shimizu 7, Fisk 7, Cissoko 6, Smith 6; Snerle 6 (Parker 7, 75), Hayashi 7, Stringer 6 (Longhurst 6, 62), Brynjarsdottir 8, Filis 7 (Evans 6, 62); Asseyi 7

Subs not used: Atkinson, Cairns, Hillyerd (gk), Houssein, Flannery

Yellow cards: Hayashi

Referee: Martin Woods (Lancashire)