Sitting perilously close to the drop zone Brighton and Hove Albion will have gone into their encounter with Everton knowing the tie was a must-win. With the Toffees comfortably in 6th, the Toffees faced Brighton on a three-game unbeaten streak. The two sides have yet to meet this season with their last encounter back in May 2022.
Brighton vs Everton — Starting XIs
Brighton
L. Williams; Pattinson, Kullberg, Morse, Fox, Bance, Robinson, Connolly, Sarri, Lee, Terland
Everton
Brosnan; Veje, Sevecke, Wheeler, Christiansen (c), Park, Sorensen, Hope, Finnigan, Galli, Snoeijs
How it went
An early goal for Elisabeth Terland would no doubt have helped settle Brighton’s nerves. A well-worked free kick in the 12th minute saw the Norwegian international head the ball beyond Courtney Brosnan’s reach. With the hosts holding a slim advantage, the game soon settled into a more expansive rhythm. Just as the first half was drawing to a close Brighton winger Katie Robinson bagged a spectacular goal. A beautifully weighted pass saw the 20-year-old through on goal; chipping the ball well above the Everton keeper.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe second goal saw the home side go into the break 2-0 up following a comfortable opening 45 minutes. With the second half well underway, Everton finally managed to find their first goal of the evening, denying Lydia Williams a clean sheet. Katja Snoeijs’ solo run through the Brighton penalty area saw the Dutch forward able to simply pass the ball into the back of the net offering her side a route back into the tie. Just 17 minutes later however and Brighton appeared to snatch the tie back. Terland’s second of the evening saw the Seagulls pull away with a 2-goal margin with just 10 minutes remaining.
Just as all hope seemed lost for the visitors, Snoeijs buried her second of the night with Jess Park once again providing the assist. Despite the 83rd-minute goal, all 3 points would go to the visitors as Brighton continue their climb from the bottom of the table with a game still in hand.
Up Next
Brighton will now face back-to-back away games, first playing Liverpool before going up against Tottenham.
Everton will also face 2 on the road with the Toffees playing struggling Reading before a trip to current champions Chelsea.
