Liverpool Women's boss Matt Beard has warned striker Olivia Smith could be at risk of serious injury due to the treatment she receives from opposition defenders and has appealed to the PGMOL to ensure she is better protected.
Smith joined Liverpool from Sporting CP for a club-record fee last summer and has been a standout performer for Beard's side this term. The Canada international scored the opening goal in Liverpool's 2-1 over Brighton on Friday night, however -- not for the first time this season -- she was on the receiving end of some robust challenges from the opposition at St. Helens Stadium.
After the game, Beard revealed the club have submitted a series of video clips to former referee Rebecca Welch, who took up a managerial role in the PGMOL last year, showing some of the treatment Smith is having to contend with.
"I thought she was excellent tonight," the Liverpool boss said. "Same as always, getting lumps kicked out of her. She deserves a lot of credit. There was an off the ball incident where she got done in the ribs, hence why she had to come off [in the second half.] Hopefully, retrospectively that will get looked at.
"She's a fantastic talent. We sent clips in to Rebecca Welch 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.
"I think at some point she's going to get seriously hurt if it's not dealt with, and it should be dealt with from the first tackle."
He added: "The last thing I want to happen is someone with Olivia's talent to get a serious injury because she's not getting protection from the officials."
Smith also reflected on the issue after the game and admitted she has had to adapt to the physicality of the WSL.
"It gets hard to not lose your head when that's happening every single game, not just in a game like this," she said. "There's talks also going on with the refs to make sure there's extra protection but there's only so much I can do so I try and keep my cool as best as I can."