Everton enjoyed a historic Vitality FA Cup match at Goodison Park on Sunday with a win over Chelsea.
After missing their opportunity last season to play on the big stage, the Toffees finally took to the grass of Goodison to host reigning Women’s Super League champions Chelsea.
Despite the absence of fans in the stands, the home advantage paid off for Willie Kirk’s side. Although, an early goal looked as though the visitors would be the ones to snatch the win.
Chelsea’s attacking pressure looked menacing from the first whistle. Their fluid passing and build-up play paid off after just five minutes into the match.
Thanks to a calm, low driven strike from Erin Cuthbert, the Blues got their noses in front. With few chances created from the home side, it looked almost a sure path to progression for thew Blues.
Embed from Getty ImagesEverton played a calm game and kept any further chances from Chelsea at bay. Soon enough, their patience paid off and skipper Lucy Graham netted the equaliser minutes before half-time.
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The Toffees capitalised again just after the hour mark with a header from Valerie Gauvin. The France international made an immediate impact after coming on as a substitute after the break.
Emma Hayes deployed Melanie Leupolz, Guro Reiten and Bethany England in an attempt to find an equaliser, but Everton held on until the final whistle.
Goalkeeper Sandy MacIver stood strong in between the sticks, making a plethora of confident saves.
Their victory at the club’s home ground sees them into the semi-final of this FA Cup run. They join Arsenal who are also through, after putting four goals past north London rivals Spurs.
