SUNDAY 11TH OCTOBER 1PM KO
WOMENS SUPER LEAGUE
EVERTON WOMEN 3 WEST HAM WOMEN 1
After suffering there 1st defeat of the season any comp during the midweek Conti Cup game away to Man City - which i think its fair to say was maybe expected, with a much changed team in a competition that the boss Willie Kirk has said will be used to test formations as it was v City, and to give players playing time. Everton were back to the familiar Settings of the WSL in what was only there 3rd home game at Walton Park v a team West Ham who have not had the best start to the season with 1 draw and 2 defeats in the league as well as been the Joint 2nd lowest scorers and 2nd highest conceders - while Everton are the 2nd highest scorers and have yet to conceed a goal making them the lowest conceders in the league.
Everton were looking to make it 4 league wins from 4 and in doing so making it the 1st time since July/august 2011 that this would have happened, This game v West ham was actually the 1st meeting between the 2 teams since March 2019 and the 1st time Everton had a home game v west ham since October 2018 for the reason that the 1st game of last season in Jan was called off by west ham due to severe Flu while that rearranged game and what was going to be the other game were off course called off due to the Coronavirus, This was only the 3rd ever meeting between the 2 with Everton having 2 wins that last game been one of them in march last year as well as a cup 4-0 win a while ago, with west ham winning the last time Everton were home in Southport in that October 2018 - Everton went into this game with the 6th highest shots at goal in 3 games with 39 with just over half on Target, Only Arsenal have a better on target record from there 61 shots while Hayley Raso is classed as the most accurate shooter on target from shots she's had - but Izzy Christiansen has scored with exactly half of her attempts on goal
Everton came into this game making 4 changes to the starting midweek cup team with Raso returning from the small Hamstring strain she got v Aston Villa in the 6-0 win last week to be on the Bench, with Captain Lucy Graham staying on the bench with Club Captain Magill taking the arm band, It looked like Everton were taking a little Risk leaving a few of the star Players on the bench but showed how decent the squad is
Everton had the 1st chance of the game in the 1st minute after a neat angled pass came to Emslie who after a long run saw her shot blocked and easy for the keeper, Turner then had a header just over on 5mins from a Claire Emslie free kick for Everton, But Everton did take the lead on 7mins when Nicoline Sorenson who has proved to be a super signing unmarked at the back post finished brilliantly controlling with her right shooting with her left shooting across Arnold into the far corner for her 1st league goal and 2nd in total, Guavin on 15mins comming inside from the right then took aim but her shot was deflected for a corner on 15mins and one minute later it should have been 2 when a brilliant angled cross from Christiansen found Guavin who tried to flick it with the outside of her foot on the pen spot but did not connect right and hit just went wide, Emslie after 20mins after some more nice football from Everton then tried a curler 1st time from a cross that just went over, Christiansen on 21mins then had a looping header just about kept out after Turner's cross from the left, but out the blue on 24mins West ham made it 1-1 when a Cross from the right was only cleared from Finnigan as far as Kenza Dali who drilled the ball into Maclvers bottom right corner - it was all Everton's own doing, West Ham grew in confidence after that goal and on 31mins canadian forward Adriana Leon after a great waived Jinking run in and out through the Everton defence just about seen her shot stoped by the Everton backline and keeper, But Everton nearly retook the lead on 43mins when a Christiansen though ball found Emslie who's shot was saved by the west ham keeper, The resulting corner had Finnigan claiming for a pen when she could not quite reach for the header, Leon then had an effort in injury time blocked and easy for Maclver but half time came and the west ham goal had took some of the string away from the way Everton were playing with as from then Everton found it more difficult and the game became more even
At the start of the 2nd on 47mins Christiansen put a brilliant ball along the 6 yard box but no one was there to tap it home, Gauvin a few mins later then went down and Looked to be in a lot of pain after what looked a bad twist of the ankle, but lucky she seemed to be fine as she was back on in mins after further treatment, West Ham then had 2 big chances in a minute on the hour mark when from a Daily corner Van Egmond headed wide, then Maclver made a excellent save from a Daily shot, One minute later Everton had the ball in the net but Gauvin saw her goal not give for Offside, Finnigan then beat 2 of her team mates to header from a corner but it was just over but Everton did go infront on 70mins When Lucy Graham scored a Breath taking wonder goal with a quite super finish from 25 yards after a nice lay back from Christiansen, West ham then had a header over from a corner on 87mins,on 90mins Malver pulled a ball out the air to stop a great chance for west ham like it was nothing, Magill on 91mins after west ham were robbed of the ball had a shot saved very well before from the resulting corner Lucy Graham left footed scored to seal a hard fought win were the team needed heart, effort and determination, Raso then shot across goal on 94mins that was so close to a 4th, But Everton held on to make it 4 wins from 4 and stay 2nd on GD from Arsenal in what proved to be a such a tougher game than many expected and in winning 4 from 4 doing it for the 1st time since 2011,
EVERTON TEAM
Maclver, Wold, Finnigan, Sevecke, Egurrola, Turner, Stringer, Christiansen, Emslie, Sorensen, Gauvin
Subs Korpela,
Pattinson, Clinton, Clemaron, Graham, Pike, Magil, Boye-Hlorkah, Raso
EVERTON SUB ON 64MINS
Graham & Raso on for Stringer & Sorensen
EVERTON SUB ON 77MINS
Magill on for Gauvin
EVERTON SUB ON 80MINS
Boye-Hlorkah on for Emslie
EVERTON SCORER SORENSEN
EVERTON SCORER LUCY GRAHAM
LUCY GRAHAM'S 2ND GOAL
WEST HAM SCORER KENZA DAli