Full time: Everton 0-3 Manchester City
Peep peep! City move above Everton with an authoritative victory at Walton Hall Park. All the goals came in the first half; all were created by the majestic Caroline Weir. A possible injury to Rose Lavelle aside, that was a perfect start to a really big week for City: Gothenburg are next, then Arsenal at home next Sunday.
That’s it for our liveblog. Thanks for your company - bye!
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90+2 min One last chance for City. Hemp runs 50 yards and finds Stanway, who hammers the ball right across the face of goal.
90+1 min “Hiya Rob,” says Adam Kline-Schoder. “Having watched Everton drop off in form over the last few matches, I can’t help but feel like letting Gauvin continue on whilst injured in the FA Cup final was very much a turning point for them. I feel like they’re good at chance creation; if only they had someone clinical to put them away. Also, might Manchester United go in for MacIver at some point? I may have simply not seen the best of her, but I’ve never been overwhelmed by Earps and a young, talented English goalkeeper seems a good purchase/free transfer after contract expiry.”
She is very impressive, I agree.
90 min The match is finally petering out.
86 min Graham rattles a shot wide from the edge of the area after a mistake by Houghton. Bronze did enough to put Graham off. She might have fouled her, actually, though nobody appealed for a penalty.
Here’s more on a big day for the WSL (and Alex Morgan)
84 min City are still charging round in pursuit of a fourth goal. Bronze plays a superb long pass to Mewis, whose shot is deflected wide.
82 min Stanway’s cross is kicked away at the near post by MacIver.
80 min At the other end, Boye-Hlorkah heads straight at Roebuck from eight yards. That was a decent chance.
79 min City break four on two from an Everton corner, but Hemp’s cross is too far in front of Stanway.
78 min Two changes for Everton: Molly Pyke and Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah replace Hayley Raso and Maeva Clemaron.
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77 min Houghton was booked for dissent a couple of minutes ago. Bit harsh, that; she was caught by a slightly snide tackle from Sorensen and complained accordingly.
Photograph: Molly Darlington/Action Images/Reuters
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76 min Ellen White, whose classy first goal set City on their way, is replaced by Georgia Stanway.
75 min Raso wriggles away from Houghton on the left and crosses low towards the near post, where Greenwood makes a good interception.
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72 min Gareth Taylor makes another change for City. Lauren Hemp, who is returning from injury, replaces Janine Beckie.
71 min At the other end, Bronze shoots wide from 25 yards.
70 min Raso misses an excellent chance for Everton, overrunning the ball after a long ball from Turner (I think) put her through on goal. Her first touch was excellent but the second was too heavy and that allowed Roebuck to dive at her feet and claim the ball.
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69 min Stokes’ rising drive is well held by MacIver. Everton look really tired now.
67 min Bronze and Mewis have shots blocked in quick succession. After a bit of a rally from Everton at the start of the half, City are again in control.
65 min City make a double change: Alex Greenwood and Sam Mewis replace Gemma Bonner and the majestic Caroline Weir.
65 min In other news, Alex Morgan has scored her first WSL goal, a late penalty in Spurs’ 3-1 win over Brighton.
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64 min Weir’s corner is headed just wide by Scott. That could have been a fourth assist for Weir.
62 min In the 2pm game, Arsenal have beaten Birmingham City 3-0. That takes them up to second in the table, a point behind the leaders Manchester United - and, if it stays like this, four points ahead of fourth-placed City.
58 min Bronze makes a vital tackle on Raso, who had moved dangerously into the area. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, Everton haven’t given this game up.
53 min Christiansen’s free-kick from the right is palmed away by the backpedalling Roebuck.
50 min Stringer lofts a pass down the inside-right channel to Sorensen, who charges into the area and larrups a shot that is pushed away by the diving Roebuck. That was a fine effort from a pretty tight angle.
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49 min Plenty of relaxed possession for City at the start of the second half. Kelly’s cross is headed away as far as Weir, who kills the ball beautifully - beating Stringer in the process - and smacks a shot that is blocked by Finnigan.
46 min Peep peep! Everton begin the second half.
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City have made a half-time change. Everton alumnus Chloe Kelly is on for Rose Lavelle, who suffered a knee injury late in the first half. I suspect that’s a precaution.
Half time: Everton 0-3 Manchester City
Peep peep! City are in control at Walton Hall Park thanks to the Harvard-educated left foot of Caroline Weir. She made all three goals with sweetly struck crosses that were headed in by Ellen White, Gemma Bonner and Janine Beckie. City are well on course for an excellent victory.
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That was another lovely goal. Weir moved into space down the left, looked up and chipped a superb cross towards the unmarked Beckie at the far post. She finished confidently, planting a header past MacIver at the near post. Superb stuff.
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GOAL! Everton 0-3 Manchester City (Beckie 45+2)
A hat-trick of assists for Caroline Weir!
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45 min Christiansen nicks the ball in midfield and finds Sorensen on the left of the area. Her rising cross-shot is confidently held at the near post by Roebuck.
42 min Beckie’s corner is headed away by Stringer.
41 min Lavelle, moving smoothly now, surges down the right onto a fine pass from Houghton. Her cutback is put behind for a City corner. Weir’s inswinger is headed over her own crossbar by Stringer. That means another corner, this time on the left...
39 min Another teasing cross from Weir just evades the leaping White in the middle.
38 min Lavelle is back on, though she’s limping heavily.
37 min There’s a break in play while Rose Lavelle receives treatment.
36 min City are really on top at the moment. I suppose they will be slightly wary because of what happened in the Manchester derby, when they led 2-0 at half-time before drawing 2-2.
34 min Bonner almost gets her second, volleying over the bar from Houghton’s fierce cross. The centre-back pair had stayed up when a set piece was only partially cleared.
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32 min Caroline Weir, who has already made two goals, tries to get one of her own with a disguised free-kick from the right edge of the area. MacIver is onto it and saves comfortably.
31 min Egurrola flattens Lavelle and is lucky not to be booked.
30 min: Beckie misses a great chance! City should be 3-0 ahead. Roebuck’s long free-kick was headed on near the halfway line, I think by an Everton player, to put Beckie clear of the defence. She moved smoothly into the area, drew MacIver and slid the ball this far wide. She should have scored.
29 min Raso is down after a collision with the City keeper Roebuck. It’s always a worry when she goes down - she broke her back two years ago - but she eventually gets to her feet. When she does, the referee books her! That’s absurdly harsh.
GOAL! Everton 0-2 Man City (Bonner 26)
Two goals in two minutes for City! Weir’s big inswinging corner from the right is headed in from close range by Bonner at the far post. Simple.
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She is absolutely clinical. Weir, in a narrow position on the left, floated a cross towards White in the area. She got between two defenders, strained her neck muscles and looped a superb header over MacIver.
GOAL! Everton 0-1 Man City (White 25)
Ellen White gives City the lead with a masterful finish!
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23 min A couple of corners in quick succession for Everton. Nowt comes of them but it’s another sign of an increasingly even game.
21 min Willie Kirk will be happy with how the first quarter has gone. City have had more of the ball but Everton have kept them at arm’s length for the most part and might have taken the lead through Hayley Raso.
18 min Jill Scott has a pop from a tight angle. MacIver saves comfortably at the near post.
16 min Lavelle moves dangerously infield, onto her left foot, and hits a shot that is again blocked by Finnigan.
15 min Nothing much to report in the last few minutes. Everton are pressing City high up the field whenever they can.
11 min Raso wins a corner for Everton, who are starting to come into the game. Sorensen’s flat corner is headed towards goal by the stooping Finnigan, and Roebuck makes a comfortable save.
9 min At the other end, Beckie has a shot blocked by Finnigan. It’s been a lively start to the game.
7 min: Chance for Everton! Sorensen crosses hard and low towards the near post, where Raso fresh-airs an attempted shot on the turn. That was a decent opportunity.
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6 min City have started really well. Everton are playing with a midfield diamond, as expected, so City are switching play at every opportunity.
3 min Lavelle’s big, inswinging corner is headed over by Bonner beyond the far post.
2 min City almost score after 90 seconds. Beckie and Weir combined nicely to find Stokes, whose deflected cross-shot evaded everyone in the middle and went wide of the far post. The sliding White (I think) almost got on the end of it.
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1 min Peep peep! City, in their black away kit, kick off from right to left. Everton are in blue.
There’s a delay to the kick-off because of a problem with one of the goal nets. Shouldn’t be long.
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Chelsea had a bit of a scare at Kingsmeadow but they have beaten West Ham 3-2 to continue their excellent start to the season. Sam Kerr’s hat-trick did the necessary to move them within three points of the leaders Manchester United - and they have a game in hand.
In the early game, a hat-trick from Sam Kerr has put Chelsea 3-1 up against West Ham. They look pretty formidable right now.
She's got her third!
— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) December 6, 2020
It's a #BarclaysFAWSL hat-trick for @samkerr1! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/3LnzWexNsL
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Team news
Everton are without Rikke Sevecke, who suffered an injury in training, so Damaris Egurrola comes into the side.
No surprise to see a bit of rotation from Gareth Taylor, given the week City have coming up. The subs bench includes Georgia Stanway, Sam Mewis, Alex Greenwood and the former Everton star Chloe Kelly.
Everton (4-D-2) MacIver; Wold, Finnigan, Egurrola, Turner; Clemaron; Stringer, Christiansen; Graham; Sorensen, Raso.
Substitutes: Korpela, Boye-Hlorkah, Pike, Clinton, Pattinson.
Manchester City (4-3-3) Roebuck; Bronze, Houghton, Bonner, Stokes; Scott, Walsh, Weir; Lavelle, White, Beckie.
Substitutes: Bardsley, Kelly, Morgan, Stanway, Greenwood, Hemp, Mewis, Park.
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Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Everton v Manchester City from Walton Hall Park. It’s the start of a very big week for City and their manager Gareth Taylor: Everton today, Gothenburg in the Champions League on Wednesday and Arsenal in the WSL next Sunday.
City can’t afford to lose much more ground in the league. They are already eight points behind the leaders Manchester United, albeit with today’s game in hand, and have had an unfathomably slow start to the season. They did beat Everton in last season’s FA Cup final, played in November because of Covid, but they start today’s match in fifth place.
Everton and Manchester United are hoping to turn the Big Three into the Big Five. Everton started the WSL season with four straight wins; since then they have picked only two points from three games, with a 4-0 defeat at Chelsea sandwiched by disappointing draws at home to Brighton and Reading. This would be a very good time to get back on track.
Kick off 2.30pm.
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