A very early goal from Grace Clinton settled the match at a chilly Walton Hall Park, with the close contest overshadowed by an injury to Everton’s Inma Gabrraro.
Clinton seized possession after an Everton giveaway and danced through the last line before smashing home her second goal in two games for the Red Devils. Second half substitute, Melvine Malard, had the best chance to wrap the tie up late on before being narrowly denied by Everton defender Megan Finnigan.
The Lineups
Everton boss, Brian Sørensen, handed starts to Honoka Hayashi, Lucy Hope, and Karoline Olesen. As for the visitors, Manchester United manager Marc Skinner named an unchanged side from their 3-0 opening day win over West Ham, which saw Leah Galton once again deployed at leftback in the boss’ 4-3-3 formation.
EVE: Brosnan; S. Holmgaard, Stenevik, Finnigan, Vanhaevermaet; Hope, Gabarro, Hayashi, Olesen; Snoeijs
MUN: Tullis-Joyce; Riviere, Le Tissier, Turner, Galton; Clinton, Janssen, Naalsund; Geyse, Terland, Toone
The Action
United got proceedings underway at a chilly Walton Hall Park, with Everton coming close from a corner inside the opening ninety seconds, with the set piece itself just looping over Phallon Tullis-Joyce’s net.
The Everton defence held an inquest within the first three minutes themselves, with Justine Vanhaevermaet giving the ball away to Grace Clinton, who sold another defender by chopping inside and firing past Courtney Brosnan to give United a dream start.
The visitors did their very best, only to shoot themselves in the foot just two minutes after, with Millie Turner being over confident in possession and Katija Snoejis nipping in but seeing her effort cleared off the line by Jayde Riviere. United seemed to use this as their own wake up call with Leah Galton and Ella Toone combining down the left, the formers cross eventually falling to Toone. However, her effort was an easy hold for Brosnan.
The hosts’ beyond miserable start somehow got even worse, with Inma Gabrraro hitting the deck. After a lengthy period recieving medical attention, she was taken off on a stretcher with a clear injury to her right leg, and was replaced by Veatriki Sarri.
After a swift break led by Geyse as we approached the half hour mark, Elisabeth Terland tiptoed her way through and past an Everton defender before poking an effort wide, still awaiting her first United goal.
Everton soon found themselves with plenty of room down the left flank and a low cross from Olesen was just begging to be tucked home, however nobody in Everton blue was able to get the touch and it sailed through untouched. United weathered the slight Everton storm and broke forward quickly once again, with Maya Le Tissier finding Toone, who in turn tried to find Terland, but the England international’s pass was too heavy and rolled through to the grateful Brosnan.
Eight minutes were added onto the first half owing much to the stoppage for Gabrraro’s injury, which saw Sara Holmgaard put into the referee’s notebook with a yellow card for hauling down the marauding Jayde Riviere, who was then booked herself for an argument with the referee minutes later. The half-time whistle went with Manchester United in the lead, but neither side able to really get up to their fullest in a stop-start opening half.
The second half got underway with neither manager making any changes to the teams that finished the first half. United were getting into the groove a tad quicker than their nearby hosts, and should have had a second when Geyse was picked out by Ella Toone. However, they dawdled on the ball and allowed Everton to get back to clear before the Brazilian could take the shot.
Brain Sørensen was the first manager to turn to his bench just after the hour, with Toni Payne replacing Olesen, and Hope along with Snoeijs being replaced by Emma Bissell and Heather Payne. Marc Skinner retaliated with a triple change of his own, taking off Lisa Naalsund, Geyse, and Terland for Melvine Malard, Celin Bizet, and Simi Awujo. An unnecessary yellow card was then picked up by Malard, after she refused to retreat the required distance for an Everton free kick.
Dominique Janssen tried for her first United goal, but the free kick didn’t quite dip enough to trouble Brosnan, as Everton took one last roll of the dice, bringing on youngster Isabella Hobson to replace Holmgaard. Everton got themselves into another mix up at the back with seven minutes to go with Malard nipping inbetween defender and goalkeeper, laying it off for substitute Hinata Miyazawa, whose effort was sent behind for a corner en route to goal.
The Toffees then had their best chance to level the game with two minutes to go after a deep Elise Stenevik free kick found a spare Everton body at the back post, the low volley fantastically saved by Tullis-Joyce. Malard sped away from the resulting counter and nipped in tom intercept a weak backpass, twisted and turned her way through, but was denied by a mixture of Megan Finnigan and Brosnan, as Everton hung on through three minutes of added time.
The final whistle sounded, with each team going two for two, Everton in the defeats column despite an improved second half performance, and United winning less convincingly than their opening day rout of West Ham. The Red Devils now sit second in the standings, following the very early stages of another Barclays Women’s Super League season.
