A late Leicester City equaliser denied Everton all three points at the King Power Stadium in the WSL, as the two sides shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw.
Ornella Vignola broke the deadlock early in the second half with a composed finish that beat Janina Leitzig, capping off Everton’s spell of dominance. However, the visitors were unable to see out the result, as Noémie Mouchon struck late on, rolling the ball into the near post from the edge of the area to cancel out Vignola’s opener.
Everton began brightly, controlling possession and dictating the tempo in the early exchanges. Within two minutes, a teasing delivery from Yuka Momiki caused problems for the Leicester defence, but the hosts dealt with it effectively.
The Toffees maintained their attacking intent, moving the ball confidently around the Leicester box.
The first real opportunity came in the 27th minute when Vignola whipped in a fine cross, only for Hikaru Kitagawa’s header to drift wide.
Just before the break, Katie Robinson broke clear of the Leicester back line and looked set to give Everton the lead, but her low strike was well saved by Leitzig.
Six minutes after the restart, Everton’s pressure told. Vignola showed great commitment to weave around Leicester’s defence, holding off their challenges, before driving forward and guiding her powerful strike past the German keeper.
The Blues looked in control, with two more presentable chances soon after. Maz Pacheco came close to adding a second ten minutes later, finding herself in a promising position inside the area, but Leitzig was alert to make a smart save and keep Leicester in the game. Elise Stenevik then had a good chance from Momiki’s free kick, but she couldn’t direct her header on target.
However, the Foxes found an equaliser in the 81st minute when Mouchon drove purposefully into the box before producing a composed finish that crept inside the near post.
The goal lifted the hosts, who finished strongly, forcing Everton to defend resolutely in the final minutes to ensure they left with a point.
Everton now look ahead to their first fixture at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, where they will face Manchester United in the WSL on Sunday.
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