Everton beat Liverpool in the derby again. More importantly, they built a sense of potential

The final whistle blew and Everton manager Brian Sorensen turned to his bench in a blur of ecstasy. All clenched fist-pumps and roars and bellowing bear hugs.

Perhaps it is that simple: a Merseyside derby to get the blood pumping, the juices flowing, the seven-game winless run terminated. For the third successive Women’s Super League campaign, Everton picked up their first win of the campaign against rivals Liverpool, this time clinching a 1-0 victory in their final game at Goodison Park courtesy of a controversial penalty converted by Katja Snoeijs.

Their record against their neighbours is impressive: undefeated at home against Liverpool since 2017 and six games now unbeaten in total in the league against their city rivals. It’s a derby dominance that belies all form.

Heading into Sunday’s clash, the energy around Everton was one of stagnation, a team stuck in a rut — so much so that it seemed like they might not be able to overturn their form this time. At kick-off, Everton sat rooted to the bottom of the WSL, winless in seven games with just three points and two goals.

An injury crisis has deprived Sorensen of Spain midfielder Inma Gabarro (signed in the summer), Italy midfielder Aurora Galli and Scotland centre-back Kenzie Weir (injured while on loan to Glasgow City last season) due to anterior cruciate ligament injuries, while defender Elise Stenevik and midfielders Karen Holmgaard and Lucy Hope have all been sidelined in the past few weeks, leaving an already thin squad looking threadbare.

A potential takeover by the Friedkin Group looms over everything, including the battle for survival. Everton’s investment ranks in the bottom four in the WSL, while their transfer budget has not expanded since 2021, leaving them unable to compete with WSL rivals. In the last two seasons, Everton have regressed in the table, finishing sixth in 2022-23 (28 points off the top) and then eighth in 2023-24 (32 points off the top).

The financial accounts for Everton’s women’s team last year nodded towards this ongoing tension between their success and that of the men’s team: “It is acknowledged that the risks and uncertainties facing the company are intrinsically linked to those of the parent company, Everton Football Club Company Limited.”

Poor performances this season under Sorensen amplified the sense of stasis. It is why Sunday’s narrow victory was met with such celebration around Goodison Park: Sunday’s result not only kept Everton’s derby dominance healthy, but it also lifted them off the foot of the WSL table, leaping from 12th to ninth.

Everton are far from out of the woods, though. The gap to bottom-placed Crystal Palace is one point. One result has pulled Everton momentarily out of the mire, but the mire remains a threat.

Yet, there is now a sense of potential.

“Of course, we look back on what can we do better, but I’ve never had any questions about the determination of my players,” Sorensen said in his post-match press conference. “The circumstances we’re in… of course we needed to kick off the season. There’s no better way to do that than at Goodison Park.”

Sunday’s clash was a vintage WSL Merseyside derby: all scraps and bruises and gnarled edges. A first shot on target did not arrive until more than half an hour into the match when Everton forward Melissa Lawley forced Liverpool goalkeeper Teagan Micah into a fingertip save from 25 yards out after she pounced on a mishit pass from Liverpool’s defence.

But in a match crying out for quality, Everton arguably edged it, using the pace of Toni Payne and former Liverpool player Lawley to run at Liverpool’s back line, while Justine Vanhaevermaet and Megan Finnigan used their strength to contain Olivia Smith and Leanne Kiernan.

The lucky first-half penalty call that resulted in Everton taking the lead once again dredges up the topic of VAR and whether its absence in the English women’s top-flight bears an impact on the game’s wider competitive value. But Sorensen can take pride in the manner in which his team defended after going a goal up, particularly as Liverpool pushed forward in the second half seemingly fuelled by a sense of injustice.

Everton goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan produced a stellar double save to deny Fuka Nagano and as time wore on, so did Liverpool’s desperation. In total, Liverpool had 17 efforts at goal but were unable to breach Everton’s defence.

Barring an opening day 4-0 defeat to Brighton and a 5-0 defeat to Chelsea, Everton have not conceded more than a goal in any game.

Everton’s productivity on the other end of the pitch remains a problem, however. Snoeijs’ penalty marked the first time this season Everton have opened the scoring.

Against Liverpool, Everton produced an xG (expected goals) total of 0.9 compared to Liverpool’s 1.55. Everton’s average xG per game this season sits at just 0.8. Their first goal of the season did not arrive until 612 minutes into the WSL season against West Ham in October.

Everton’s ability to produce at both ends of the pitch will be crucial as they look to build on Sunday’s result against Manchester United in the League Cup on Wednesday, but a tone of survival clung to Sorensen’s post-match comments as he stated that competition “doesn’t mean much to us in terms of where our squad is at the minute”.

But Everton do need the form to stick as they enter a relegation battle more fraught than ever.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Liverpool, Everton, UK Women's Football

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