It was in the 61st minute at Walton Hall Park, with Everton boasting a slender lead over fellow WSL outfit Reading, that Gabby George drove forwards and arrowed a potent, right-footed strike into the top corner.
It was a quite remarkable goal - George's first in more than four years - and a moment that felt in many ways like a meritorious reward for her impeccable form in the top-flight this term. The defender has long been one of Everton's brightest prospects, having made her senior debut for the club aged just 17, and she is one of a number of Blues who looks to be in the ascendancy under new manager Brian Sorensen.
Conventionally a central defender, George has exhibited her versatility as a wing-back since the Dane's arrival in the summer; her eye-catching displays on the left flank even earning her the WSL's Player of the Month Award for January. With that sparkling form in mind, it came as a shock to many when the 26-year-old wasn't included in Sarina Wiegman's squad for England's Arnold Clark Cup campaign this month.
George made her debut for the Lionesses under Phil Neville in 2018 and was called up by Wiegman in November in place of injured duo Jordan Nobbs and Lauren Hemp. But, with this summer's World Cup on the horizon, George remains undeterred by any noise surrounding her recent international omission and is instead determined to channel her efforts into helping Everton climb the WSL table.
"Nothing changes," she told MirrorFootball. "My aim is always to improve and perform at the club and, if international comes, it comes. Obviously this time around it didn't but it's not going to stop me working hard and trying to get Everton where we want to be and where we should be."
It is a level-headed outlook that should perhaps come as no surprise from a player who has encountered so many consequential moments - good and bad - in her playing career so far. George came through the ranks at Manchester United, where she idolised the likes of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidić, before making the switch to Merseyside in 2014.
She made her first-team debut that same year against Notts County before being thrust into the spotlight in the Women's FA Cup final, where Everton ultimately lost out to Arsenal. In 2017, she made history by becoming the club's first full-time professional player - a feat she still considers one of the proudest moments of her career to date.
"Growing up, you never really saw women's football as something that could be a full-time job," George said. "But it was the only thing that I was ever focused on. I never really looked at anything else - I just wanted to play football.
"So when Everton decided to go full time, it was a no brainer for me. I was still young, so I had no other career and I could take the risk of trying it. And I've not looked back since.
"I started training here when I was 16 and I've just turned 26. So it's been a while. But I was really honoured to be the first full-time player. That will be something that I carry with me forever."
If putting pen to paper on a professional deal was one of George's most euphoric football moments, then rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) - in the first minute of Everton's victory over Bristol City in February 2020 - was one of her most challenging.
Indeed, it was a challenge that was exacerbated by the fact the UK was on the cusp of lockdown; the Coronavirus pandemic meaning George was forced to wait four months before undergoing surgery.
"It was difficult for me," the 26-year-old said. "I think it was difficult for everyone. It was in the middle of a pandemic so it was having to deal with two things at once.
"I think it was made easier by the club and my friends and family. But I was determined to always come back and hopefully be better than the player I was when I left."
One of the family members who helped George navigate through her prolonged spell on the sidelines was cousin and Nottingham Forest ace, Jesse Lingard, who the defender says is always on hand to offer support on and off the pitch.
"When I’m in situations I know other people won't understand, I always pick up the phone to him and he always answers," she said. "It's just easy to have someone that understands it on that level.
"I think Jesse has been through a lot in his career as well, mentally and physically. So it's easy to speak to him and he always gives the right advice."
After more than a year on the treatment table, George made her Everton return against Tottenham in February 2021. The following season, the defender was the bright spark in an otherwise disappointing campaign - the Blues having stuttered to a tenth-placed finish following the dismissal of two permanent managers in the space of four months.
But Sorensen's arrival in the summer signalled something of a new dawn for the Toffees, who currently find themselves in sixth place after a string of impressive displays against the likes of Aston Villa, Tottenham and West Ham.
"I think we're improving game on game," George said, reflecting on Everton's season so far. "I think when you bring in a new manager it’s always difficult to try and hit the ground running.
"But I think we’re doing that, and we'll just continue to develop and get better with every game. I think last season, we lacked a bit of structure.
"We had really good players, but I think you need a structure to let them players have a bit of freedom. I think that's what Brian tries to do. I think that's the biggest difference (from last season)."
Sorensen's Everton vision was perhaps most clearly exhibited in his side's rampant 3-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield back in September. And the Blues will get the chance to secure a league double over their local rivals, who are currently eighth in the WSL, when they host the reverse fixture at Goodison Park on March 24.
"Well we’re unbeaten at Anfield so that’s a good start," George quipped. "That’s something that we're looking to maintain and now we've got the derby at Goodison we want to get as many fans there as we can.
"We've had such amazing support this season - probably the best that we've had in the past 10 years. We're getting bigger crowds at every home game so we want to do it at Goodison.
"In a derby, all results go out the window. Everyone turns up on the day, so I'm expecting a really tough game."
And while Everton will be hoping to best the 27,000-strong crowd that flocked to Anfield earlier in the season, there are two faces in particular George will be looking out for when she takes to the pitch at Goodison.
"My little sisters will be there screaming and shouting as usual," she said. "They are my biggest inspiration. Everyone that knows me knows that they're adopted, so they've had a tough life.
"But seeing them smile when I'm on the pitch and and seeing me as the person that they look up to is amazing. We just want to give them the best life that we can and if part of that is me performing then that's what I'll do."
While there will, of course, be local bragging rights on the line when Everton host Liverpool in L4, the Blues have already surpassed many expectations in their first season under their new boss. For George, who is also studying accountancy through the PFA, the sky is the limit in terms of what the club - and what she as a player - can achieve going forward.
"With a manager like Brian who has structure and has a philosophy of how he wants to play, we can keep improving season on season," she said. "I think we will continue to keep bringing in players over the next few seasons and hopefully, people on the outside can see what we're building here.
"I think I'm improving game on game but I think I'm only scratching the surface of the potential that I've still got to give. So I'm just going to continue to develop and try and get better and better."
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