Matt Beard was named WSL Manager of the Season at the LMA Awards

The Liverpool FC Women boss has been recognized for guiding her side to fourth place in the 2023-24 WSL.

After finishing seventh following their return to the top flight in 2022-23, Beard’s side have gone the extra mile this term to secure the club’s highest-ever placing in the division since 2017.

A four-game winning streak to end the campaign – including wins against Manchester United and eventual champions Chelsea – helped seal a place in the top four.

Beard said: “We are excited about the season. These awards are humbling and I am very, very grateful to everyone who voted. It’s not just about me, it’s about the team. They have to go out and perform and the staff work tirelessly behind the scenes to support everything we do as well.

“It’s about the collective and that’s the staff and the players. Everyone deserves credit for that.”

He added: “I think you can see from the team’s performance of late that it’s a lot of the work we’ve done and the players have done. You can start to see her understanding on a more consistent basis. I think at the start of the season we had a fantastic start with the win at the Emirates (against Arsenal) and I think it gave us that platform to start.

“If you look at May as an example, it was a tough month, we played Bristol City who were not relegated at the time and were fighting for every point.

“Then we play Chelsea and we won 4-3, then we beat Manchester United 1-0 and we finish with a great win at Leicester. If I just look at the consistency of the performance levels and the character within the group across all those games, I think that speaks volumes for the work put in this year.

“I’ve said this a few times this year, but it’s exciting to see where this team can go.”