Everton Women produced a spirited display at Goodison Park but were edged out 2-1 by league leaders Manchester City in the WSL.
Vivianne Miedema opened the scoring for the visitors in the 21st minute, before Kelly Gago levelled with a flashy finish to net her fourth goal of the season. Despite the Blues’ battling performance, Khadija “Bunny” Shaw restored City’s advantage early in the second half to secure the points for the visitors.
The contest began on even footing, with Everton showing great composure and quality to match the title-chasing opposition.
Emily Ramsey was called into action early, reacting smartly to deny Shaw’s strike from the centre of the box.
However, Miedema showed her class moments later, breaking through the Blues’ backline and finding the net with a precise finish.
Brian Sørensen’s side responded superbly, pushing forward with intent. Kelly Gago came close to levelling with a header just seven minutes later, forcing a fine save, before she found her reward inside 41 minutes.
The forward combined beautifully with Toni Payne, whose pinpoint delivery was met by a clever backheel finish from Gago to bring Everton level.
Before the break, Shaw had an opportunity to put City back in front but fired over from close range.
She made no mistake after the restart, however, meeting a lofted cross from Leila Ouahabi on the left wing with a powerful header to reclaim their advantage.
Everton continued to fight for an equaliser, with Ornella Vignola agonisingly striking the post from distance and Hikaru Kitagawa seeing a close-range effort well saved following a dangerous cross from Katie Robinson.
Despite a strong finish, the Blues were unable to find the breakthrough their performance deserved.
Everton are back in action on Sunday, travelling to the Chigwell Construction Stadium to face West Ham United, as they look to return to winning ways.
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