Our final Barclays Women’s Super League game of 2025 ended with a 3-1 win over Everton in our first ever visit to Goodison Park.
Three goals in the first 15 minutes came courtesy of a Katie McCabe stunner, Honoka Hayashi’s equaliser and then Alessia Russo putting us back in front.
Olivia Smith then netted yet another Goal of the Season contender to put the result beyond doubt late on.
### FIRST HALF
Our first chance came in the third minute, Mariona Caldentey picking out Caitlin Foord on the left, who drifted inside and curled wide of the near post.
Six minutes later, Kim Little crossed to the far post for Beth Mead to head towards goal, but it was straight at Courtney Brosnan.
We took the lead after Lotte Wubben-Moy played the ball forward to Russo, whose cross found Mariona, and her effort was cleared only as far as McCabe. Our left-back took a touch and volleyed it into the bottom right corner before running to celebrate with the travelling supporters.
Our lead didn’t last long though, as Everton responded immediately with Hayashi smashing the ball past Anneke Borbe from the edge of the area to equalise.
Thankfully, it was only a matter of minutes until we were back in front again. Emily Fox’s cross was met by Little, who knocked it back across goal.
Russo’s header appeared to be saved well by Brosnan but Foord was in the right place to strike the ball across the line. However, it was later determined that it was Russo’s effort that had crossed the line first for 2-1.
Kyra Cooney-Cross then had a volley deflected just wide for a corner, and Russo saw another effort from close range saved.
On the half-hour mark, our number 23 did well to turn Martina Fernandez and looked to slot the ball into the bottom right corner, but Brosnan got down to her left to make a good save.
Russo headed wide from a deep Foord cross with half-time approaching and we went into the break a goal to the good.
### SECOND HALF
It was a much quieter start to the second half, our first chance coming as McCabe’s cross was hit first time by Russo, but the shot was too soft to trouble Brosnan.
Mariona tried to squeeze the ball through a crowd of defenders and into the bottom right but Brosnan again got down to make the save with half an hour remaining.
We made our first two changes of the afternoon in the 63rd minute, Stina Blackstenius and Smith coming on for Little and Mead.
Borbe was on hand to catch a free-kick into the box from Everton with just over 10 minutes left on the clock, before we made another two changes with Victoria Pelova replacing Mariona and Leah Williamson making her long-awaited return in place of Steph Catley.
It was 3-1 in the 87th minute as McCabe hooked the ball forward and Smith volleyed it into the bottom right on the outside of her foot for 3-1.
Taylor Hinds came on for McCabe as our next substitution in the 90th minute. We had one more chance to make it four in added time as Russo smashed the ball onto the underside of the crossbar.
The win sees us rise to second in the WSL, five points behind Manchester City, who play Aston Villa on Sunday.
### WHAT’S NEXT
There are two more games to go before Christmas, starting with the finale of our UEFA Women’s Champions League group phase away to OH Leuven at 8pm on Wednesday. We are guaranteed at least a spot in the play-offs for the quarter-finals at the time of writing.
After that, our Subway Women’s League Cup journey begins at the quarter-final stage against Crystal Palace at Gander Green Lane in Sutton at 1pm on Sunday.
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