Brian Sorensen’s third full season in charge of Everton Women followed a similar pattern to what has gone before. The injury curse continued, while the loss of Hanna Bennison to Juventus hurt as much as Gabby George’s departure to Manchester United 12 months before.
Chelsea’s dominance continued, and with the usual suspects challenging the West Londoners for their crown, the top four was once again a mountain too big to climb for Everton Women.
That being said, the Blues will still have felt that more could have been achieved than an eighth-placed finish, but will be relishing the new season given announcements off the field.
New Owners, New Home
With the Friedkin Group finally acquiring Everton Football Club in December 2024, Sorensen immediately felt the support as the Dane recruited six new faces to Merseyside in January, with French striker Kelly Gago having the distinction of being the first ever player to sign for Everton under the new ownership.
Everton FC v Leicester City FC - Barclays Women’s Super League Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images
And the former FC Nantes star would hit the ground running for the Toffees, featuring in 12 games and scoring five goals, while developing a potent partnership with Toni Payne.
And that duo will be able to flourish at a new home next season, following May’s announcement that Everton Women will relocate for Walton Hall Park to Goodison Park as their male counterparts will be playing their football at Hill Dickinson Stadium come the start of 2025/26 campaign.
Regarded as one of football’s most iconic stadiums, Sorensen sees the move as a reflection of the commitment of the new owners to the development and growth of the women’s game.
“I was delighted and happy because it shows the intentions of our new owners,” he said. “It shows what they want to do with the women’s programme and it gives us a platform to grow.”
Derby Dominance And The End of City Hoodoo
Another season, another win and another shutout at Anfield as Everton went on to complete a league double over their Merseyside neighbours.
Liverpool FC v Everton FC - Barclays Women’s Super League Photo by Jan Kruger - The FA/The FA via Getty Images
A Katja Snoeijs penalty in November was enough to settle matters at Goodison and hand the Blues their first win in the WSL, in what was a typically tight derby encounter.
And the Netherlands star made history in May this year when her seventh-minute opener at Anfield saw her become the first Everton player since Andrei Kanchelskis to net at the first two homes of the Toffees in the same season against their city neighbours.
Another hard-fought fixture, Karen Holmgaard’s finish with just over twenty minutes remaining ensured that Sorensen’s 100 per cent winning record at Anfield continued.
While a victory over the old enemy is always welcome, it was win in December that was arguably the highlight victory for Everton, who ended a winless run against Manchester City courtesy of goals from Lucy Hope and Honoka Hayashi.
Mary Fowler’s penalty halved the deficit with one minute to go, but the Blues’ rearguard held firm to finally end a run of 16 successive WSL defeats against the Citizens.
And Karen Holmgaard could have secured a double over City, as she combined with sister Sara to level proceedings at Joie Stadium with a towering header, before the same combination saw an effort sail agonisingly over the bar in the second half.
Manchester City FC v Everton FC - Barclays Women’s Super League Photo by Jess Hornby - The FA/The FA via Getty Images
Slow Starts And Injuries
Sorensen would have bemoaned his luck as his team were struck with two injuries in the first two games that would effectively end the seasons of influential midfielder Aurora Galli and new signing Inma Gabarro.
The losses further compounded another slow start from the Toffees, who would have to wait until November to secure their first WSL win.
In what has been an all too common occurrence during the Sorensen era, addressing that issue will be one of the boss’ top priorities, along with hoping for a bit more luck on the injury front.
Lack Of Goals And Faith In Youth
Sorensen will be pinning a lot of his hopes on January signing Gago, Everton will have to improve the goals for tally if they are to make their mark on the WSL.
While defending has been a strength, only three teams scored fewer than the Blues last season, one of which being relegated Crystal Palace.
Everton FC v Tottenham Hotspur FC - Barclays Women’s Super League Photo by Joe Prior/Getty Images
Sorensen has always believed in a possession-heavy ethos, with his team playing out from the back. And while Everton have controlled more games than they have chased this season, the Dane will be desperate for a more clinical final third in 2025/26.
Another mantra the Dane has remained steadfast in is youth. Homegrown names like Issy Hobson being afforded first-team opportunities and fellow academy graduate Megan Finnigan assuming the role of club captain, have helped the Toffees attract players that appreciate a team that allows for development.
One such name was promising Barcelona star Martina Fernandez, who made a temporary switch to Merseyside after praising Everton’s belief in young players.
Despite only playing a handful of games on Merseyside, and a return to the Catalan giants an almost certainty, the 20-year-old’s ability quickly made her a fan favourite and the Blues’ faithful will be hoping that the head coach can pull off a few more acquisitions of that calibre in the summer.
Everton FC v Crystal Palace - Barclays Women’s Super League Photo by Jan Kruger - The FA/The FA via Getty Images
What Next?
A new home at the Grand Old Lady, and a new contract handed out by new owners that originate from a nation that has a proven record of backing the women’s game, Sorensen will be looking at next season with more hope than ever before.
With a few new faces, if his team can remain largely injury free and hit the ground running come the first whistle then fans can dare to dream.
But with the backing comes the expectation. And Sorensen will be acutely aware that a mediocre finish and a poor run in the cups may not be enough to keep him at Goodison beyond next season, no matter what the mitigating circumstances may be.