In a week where Evertonians pay homage to one of the club’s most storied icons, the women’s team made sure to deliver a quite remarkable tribute at Anfield.
Almost eight years to the day since the passing of Howard Kendall, Brian Sorensen managed to emulate one of the great man’s greatest achievements at the home of the Blues’ city rivals. Before last weekend, it had been 39 years since an Everton manager – men’s or women’s – had managed two wins at Liverpool’s famous old ground
It was a feat that, perhaps unsurprisingly, hadn’t been replicated since Kendall’s tenure. And, with Everton’s men’s team’s Premier League struggles at Anfield well-documented, it seemed unlikely the achievement would be repeated any time soon.
Step forward Sorensen, who masterminded Everton Women’s second consecutive away win against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon. Ahead of the game, the Dane had been keen to downplay the amount of pressure on his side after their disappointing start to the season.
Of course, injuries and a controversial offside call offered some mitigation for Everton’s defeats against Brighton & Hove Albion and Leicester City. But the need to get some points on the board was becoming increasingly pressing, particularly considering the raft of challenging fixtures to come for the Blues in the weeks ahead.
“We just want to get back and showcase ourselves and there’s no better occasion to do that than a derby,” Sorensen had said in his pre-match press conference. “(Winning at Anfield last year) built a lot of belief and confidence in what we’re doing. That’s the aim, that’s the hope, to copy that.”
Though Everton ventured across Stanley Park armed with a good track record of spoiling Liverpool’s Anfield party, the Blues could hardly have envisaged a worse start to the contest. Inside the first five minutes, wing-back Lucy Hope was forced off the pitch with an ankle injury while Missy Bo Kearns thought she had put the hosts ahead with a tidy finish in front of the Kop.
On reflection, it seems the Blues were slightly fortunate to receive a reprieve from the latter incident. The raising of the offside flag saw Kearns’ strike ruled out, leaving the door open for Everton to get a foothold in the clash.
