A moment of composure was needed by Olivia Holdt and she certainly delivered with a sublime finish at King Power Stadium.
After a lovely, weighted pass from Eveliina Summanen to set the Denmark international through one-on-one and with only Janina Leitzig to beat, she admitted it was just ‘instinct’ to scoop the ball over the Foxes’ shot stopper and into the back of the net to make it two goals in consecutive Barclays Women's Super League games.
Her goal doubled our tally in the contest after Cathinka Tandberg had forced home the opener just six minutes prior to that and although Sam Tierney halved the deficit in the latter stages of the first half followed by some inspired defending in the second period to deny the Foxes, we held on to return to winning ways in the league.
Making her first start since the season opening win over West Ham United, Olivia was at the heart of our attacking threat, showcasing full confidence on the ball in the first 45 minutes with some excellent runs, and it was no surprise to see her claim the game’s Player of the Match award.
Asked about her goal, she said: “It was a lovely ball. She just passed me through to the goalkeeper and then my first thought was actually just to pass it next to her, but when I took the touch and looked up, she was right in front of me. I think I just went on instinct and chipped her.
“It was nice to see the ball go in and I’m happy to help the team with goals and assists – but, most importantly, with the three points.
“We gained a lot of confidence from this game, especially because I think last season it probably wouldn’t have been the same outcome so it’s really important. We were up 2–1, they put us under a lot of pressure at the end, but we stuck to our plan and got the win.”
On the impact of having a full pre-season with squad, Olivia added: “It’s been nice to have a full pre-season now with the team. Martin [Ho] has come in with a lot of ideas and new energy - and I think the whole squad needed that. We’re building something very special and it feels good.”
Watch | Holdt's cheeky finish against Leicester