Everton claimed a famous 1-0 victory in the last ever Women’s Super League (WSL) Merseyside derby to be played at Goodison Park on Sunday, though the three points did not come without controversy.
Brian Sørensen’s team had been the better team in the first half without putting Liverpool goalkeeper Teagan Micah under drastic pressure, but that changed when Fuka Nagano tripped Honoka Hayashi on the edge of the area, causing referee Abigail Byrne to point to the spot.
Replays subsequently showed the contact between the players came well outside the box, though there is no video assistant referee in the WSL and Katja Snoeijs slotted the penalty to earn Everton a precious lead which they refused to let slip.
Liverpool huffed and puffed in the second half to no real avail, the best chance coming early in the period when Nagano collected a ball across the box from Olivia Smith and fired goalwards — only to be denied twice by Courtney Brosnan.
Eight minutes of stoppage time brought groans from the Goodison faithful but the blue wall held firm, Brosnan parrying clear from a Gemma Bonner effort after something of a scramble in the area proving to be the only moment of real danger.
 Merseyside derby to be played at Goodison Park on Sunday, though the three points did not come without controversy.){kind=link}