Liverpool's 'phenomenal' Olivia Smith has already haunted Man Utd and Arsenal this season - now she could destroy Chelsea's quadruple hopes in huge FA Cup semi-final

When Liverpool upset Arsenal in the previous round, Smith was the star of the show. Completing a remarkable eight of her nine attempted dribbles, she quite literally ran rings round the Gunners at times in a shock 1-0 win.

Just five days later, she was at it again, scoring twice to fire the Reds to victory in the league against Manchester United. It was the women’s team’s first win at Anfield and the 20-year-old was right at the heart of it, thriving in a wide position that has suited her well since interim boss Amber Whiteley changed Liverpool’s shape.

Under former boss Beard, Smith was deployed as a striker in a 3-5-2. However, in recent weeks, she has reverted back to the sort of out-and-out winger role that suited her so well in her first stint in Europe, at Sporting CP.

Mariana Cabral, Smith’s coach in Lisbon, vividly remembers the first time she became aware of this talented young forward. She was in a meeting with her head scout, Joao Almeida Rosa, when he showed her footage of the Canada international playing for Penn State, one of the top women's soccer college programs in the United States. It took Cabral just seconds to utter a response – and that was to “just go get her”.

“It was just that obvious that she was really good,” Cabral tells GOAL. “A really good fit for us as a young player with a lot of potential, not just with physical qualities but also with technical qualities. She was really powerful, really good on the ball, really good off the ball, pressing, and we were like, 'Yeah, this is like the whole package. Let's go'. “Fortunately, Liv also wanted to change a bit and to grow as a player and to sort of pursue her career a bit more. She wanted to take that step and that's how she got to Portugal.”

Smith spent just one season at college, admitting in an interview with Radio Renascenca that she just didn’t feel like she “fit in” to the style of play in the U.S. She perfectly suited what Cabral and Sporting were doing, though. In 28 games for the club, she scored 16 goals and provided 10 assists. It was no surprise, then, that Liverpool came calling after only one season.

Cabral admits it was “a difficult feeling”, knowing she was going to lose one of the best players on her team. “Sometimes you have games that are so competitive, that sometimes a player like Liv can whip up something and make a difference, and that's really important,” she notes. However, at the same time, she couldn’t help but be happy for Smith, knowing she was taking the next step of a promising journey that seems destined for the very top.

“Seeing her thrive in her career is really powerful, you know?” she adds. “I get really proud for her, so there's always that part that you get really happy for them and you just want the best for them. I want the best for her anywhere. As long as she's happy and doing well, that's great.”

At Liverpool, that certainly appears to be the case. The Reds valued Smith highly from the jump, paying a club-record transfer fee for her services, and she has certainly justified that. As the final four games of the WSL season approach, the 20-year-old is Liverpool’s top-scorer, ranks third on the team for chances created and has completed more dribbles than all but one player across the entire league.

It's not just about her attacking skills, either. Whiteley, the Reds’ interim boss, remarked after victory over Man Utd that Smith's efforts off the ball are "just as good". “We've changed to four at the back, it's so important that you've got your midfield in front working hard to protect your back line and she puts in an incredible shift,” the coach said on BBC Three, describing Liverpool's No.11 as "phenomenal".

Indeed, only battling full-back Taylor Hinds has won more tackles among the Reds' players than Smith, who also cracks the top five for the number of times she has won possession back for her side.

It’s no wonder fans of the WSL’s biggest teams have had their interest piqued by Smith’s performances, eyeing her up for another move already. It’s hard not to imagine that several clubs will be thinking the same. “I would already say that she is ready for bigger steps,” Cabral says with a laugh. “But one thing at a time!”

When that time does eventually come, whether it’s sooner or later, it’s hard to imagine Smith not making the right decision as she climbs another rung of the ladder, either. She’s taken perfectly sized steps so far, first going to Sporting and then to Liverpool, with it evident that she has a good head on her shoulders despite still being so young.

“She’s really smart about her career,” Cabral agrees, noting the influence of her father in this realm, too. “She needed to go somewhere where she knew she would be important, she would play and I think she's been smart about that, at Sporting and then at Liverpool. I think it's been good for her.”

Smith doesn’t forget about those who have contributed to her career to date, either. As well as still being in touch with Cabral, who is now part of the staff at NWSL side Utah Royals and came out to England at the end of last year to watch her, Smith visited Sporting when she returned to Portugal recently. “I guess you can tell the kind of person that she is from that.”

This weekend, though, Smith will be keen to spotlight the kind of player she is, and in a big moment. The 20-year-old missed Liverpool’s last game before the international break due to a hip injury that also forced her to withdraw from the Canada squad. However, the hope is that she will be ready to go as the Reds take on champions-elect Chelsea.

Her wonderful dribbling, pinpoint crossing and deadly finishing has already helped Liverpool stun two of the WSL’s top three and if they can complete the set on Saturday, it would allow the Reds’ women’s team to put a Wembley date in their diary for the very first time.

It’s going to be tough. Chelsea have lost just one game under Bompastor, and that was the first leg of a Champions League quarter-final tie that they ultimately won. However, it’s by no means an impossible task – especially if Smith can keep up her impressive run of making a dent in even the very best defences.