Everton 3-1 West Ham United
Barclays FA Women’s Super League
Walton Hall Park
Sunday 11 October 2020
West Ham United fell to a 3-1 Barclays FA Women’s Super League defeat away to Everton.
Two goals from Everton substitute Lucy Graham in the second period settled the game, after Nicoline Sorensen had given the Toffees an eight-minute lead.
Kenza Dali’s fantastic low finish from outside the area had drawn the Hammers level in the first half, but it was the home side that took all three points in an entertaining encounter at Walton Hall Park.
The Hammers were coming up against an Everton side who, heading into the fixture, had scored 11 league goals and not conceded. The home team’s confidence was apparent early on, with the Toffees taking the lead.
Claire Emslie’s cross found Sorensen in space in the box. The forward took a touch and drove her finish through Mackenzie Arnold with just eight minutes on the clock.
West Ham looked to drive back into the game as they searched for an equaliser. The Irons’ best opportunity, on 24 minutes, led to a deserved goal. Cecilie Redisch’s cross was only cleared out to Dali. The France international made no mistake, controlling superbly before unleashing a low drive into the bottom corner.
Dali’s second goal of the campaign served as a catalyst for the second part of the first half, with Ruby Grant’s shot on the turn testing Everton shot-stopper Sandy MacIver.
Adriana Leon would have certainly won the Goal of the Season award had her mazy run and silky skills on the left-flank led to a finish. Her effort was on target but held.
Both teams had the chance to take the lead in the closing moments of the first period. Everton’s Emslie skipped past Grace Fisk but could not turn her effort past the outcoming Arnold, before Leon’s driven effort on the counter-attack was saved.
The industrious Leanne Kiernan had an opportunity to score for the Irons just a few minutes after the restart. The forward reclaimed possession deep before firing a shot over the bar.
On the hour mark, the Irons went close to taking the lead. Rachel Daly’s corner was superb, meeting Emily van Egmond’s head. An inch lower, and her effort would have found the top corner.
Everton squeezed the ball home a couple of moments later, only to be denied by the corner flag, but there was little the Hammers defence could do about substitute Graham’s curling effort on 71 minutes. The first-time strike from outside the area found the corner, giving the home side the advantage again.
Matt Beard’s side drove forward, bringing on Kate Longhurst and Nor Mustafa in the search for a second equaliser. But, as the match ticked into seven minutes of added-time, Graham found the net again from a corner, tucking home low at the far post.
Everton: MacIver; Wold, Finnigan, Sevecke, Turner (c); Damaris, Christiansen, Stringer (Graham 61); Gauvin (Magill 78), Emslie (Hlorhah 81), Sorensen (Raso 61)
Subs not used: Korpela, Clemaron, Clinton, Pattinson
Goals: Sorensen 8, Graham 71, 90+1
West Ham United: Arnold; Redisch, Flaherty (c), Fisk, Pacheco; Van Egmond, Grant (Longhurst 56), Dali; Kiernan (Nor 73), Daly, Leon
Subs not used: Brosnan, Cruickshank, Dunbar, Joel,
Goals: Dali 24,
