Everton Women suffered their first loss of the season going down 4-0 away to Chelsea at Kingsmeadow Stadium yesterday (November 8).
A closely contested first half saw Chelsea with the advantage going into the half-time break.
After a lively opening from the away side, which saw Sorensen deliver a wicked cross in the opening minute to no avail, Chelsea soon began to assert their dominance.
The hosts had the best chance 10 minutes into the contest.
A dangerous ball in from the flank by Andersson just missed the head of England in the area.
Willie Kirk’s side were quick to respond with an attack of their own.
An excellent ball in from the left hand side by Raso missed all heads in the box, but a mis-skewed kick by keeper Berger allowed Egurrola the chance to try her luck with a floated shot from distance, which went just off target.
The home side capitalised on this missed opportunity moments later, when a blocked kick by keeper Maclver fell to the feet of Ji just outside the area, who controlled and volleyed well into the far corner.
Everton reacted well for the rest of the half and crafted another good chance to score 10 minutes before the half time break.
Another brilliant cross from Raso on the left flank landed into the path of Christiansen in the area, who just couldn’t get a good enough contact on the ball.
Everton could consider themselves slightly unfortunate to be one down at the break in a fairly even half.
The second half continued in a similar vein. A competitive battle from both sides meant chances were at a premium for the first 20 minutes.
It was Everton who should have drawn level on the 65th minute.
A driving run from Sorensen down the right and neat lay off allowed Moe Wold the chance to deliver a cross to the back post where Rosa was waiting.
Her effort was blocked superbly on the line by the Chelsea defence to keep the blues out.
It was a miss that the away side were left to rue 10 minutes later.
Two goals by Bethany England in the 73rd and 76th minutes ensured the contest was all but finished going into the final stages of the game.
A late Pernille Harder strike was the icing on the cake to make it four for Chelsea.
The win for the hosts means they remain unbeaten this season.
Everton next play on Saturday November 14 against Reading, at Walton Hall park.
(image by James Boyes – Creative Commons Licence)
