Key events
That’s it from me today. I’ll leave you with Sophie Downey’s report from a dramatic lunchtime at Anfield:
In the Frauen-Bundesliga yesterday, Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen broke the attendance record for a women’s league match in Germany, with 57,762 fans watching Bayern win 2-0 at the Allianz Arena.
The previous record was 38,365 for a game between Cologne and Eintracht Frankfurt in 2023.
England’s Georgia Stanway started for Bayern – she has been speaking to our very own Donald McRae this week:
Sport offers skills that you can take into everyday life – togetherness, communication, resilience, the ability to bounce back. If you can do that on the sports field when the competition and pressure is high you’re more likely to be able to do it in everyday life when you can be calm, composed and strategic.
Half-time scores in WSL2:
Birmingham 2-1 Bristol City (Magill 7 13; Farrugia 18)
Charlton 0-0 Crystal Palace
Nottingham Forest 0-2 Newcastle (Murphy 7, Pike 27)
Portsmouth 0-2 Durham (Ede 23, Speckmaier 38)
Everton manager Brian Sørensen said his team were “terrible” in the first 30-40 minutes at Anfield. “Everything was just off I don’t know why,” he said. “We couldn’t put more than three or four passes together. Then in the final 10 minutes or so we started to look more like ourselves.”
He said his three half-time substitutions were because he “didn’t want to start on the back foot again and wanted some fresh energy in, and it paid off. I’m so happy for the girls.”
As an aside, there were four games in WSL2 that kicked off at 2pm (BST), and the latest scores after half an hour are:
Birmingham 2-1 Bristol City (Magill 7 13; Farrugia 18)
Charlton 0-0 Crystal Palace
Nottingham Forest 0-2 Newcastle (Murphy 7, Pike 27)
Portsmouth 0-1 Durham (Ede 23)
Here’s Tom Garry’s full-time take from Brisbane Road:
For large parts of the contest, during which the opposing goalkeepers generally had little to do, it had looked as though the teams might play out a goalless draw, but Katrina Garry fouled Eveliina Summanen inside the area to present the home side with a chance to win the game on 86 minutes, and England tucked her spot-kick into the right-hand corner.
Liverpool manager Gareth Taylor says there were “a lot of positives” to his team’s performance and that the five-minute periods either side of half-time “really cost” them.
As to the reasons why Liverpool surrendered a lead so easily, Taylor pointed to his team’s fitness and going back to “old habits” as opposed to following his new tactics.
“Sometimes football has a way of pulling the rug from beneath you,” was his deflated summary of the day.
Tom Garry
This was by no means a classic here between Tottenham and West Ham and it will not be the first game on the women’s football show later tonight, but it is a much-needed win for Spurs to get them up and running in their new era under Martin Ho, after a very unimpressive 11th-placed finish last term.
This was a game that had delivered few great chances until Bethany England’s spot-kick with four minutes of the 90 remaining and the experienced striker did not let her team down. West Ham look dejected but there will be no need for them to panic after just one game, they simply lacked a bit of a clinical edge in the final third today, despite getting into some promising attacking positions at times.
Well, what a start to the season for Everton. Local bragging rights. Another win at Anfield. A hat-trick for their new signing.
“It doesn’t get better than that,” Ornella Vignola tells Sky Sports. “The first goal was my favourite.”
“We have a really good team, on and off the pitch. I think great things are coming,” says Martina Fernández, who was translating for her compatriot.
Brian Sørensen will be thrilled with his team’s response to going behind to Liverpool. As for Gareth Taylor, he’ll want to forget his first game in charge.
Full-time summary:
Brighton 0-0 Aston Villa
Liverpool 1-4 Everton (Kapocs 12; Vignola 24 54 56, Snoeijs 45+4)
Man Utd 4-0 Leicester (Toone 13, Terland 25, Malard 73 87)
Tottenham 1-0 West Ham (England 86pen)
Full-time: Brighton 0-0 Aston Villa
Stalemate at Crawley. Agyemang, Kirby and Daly all went close to breaking the deadlock at various points but neither side could do enough to earn an opening win.
Full-time: Tottenham 1-0 West Ham
Not a classic at Brisbane Road but a hugely important first win for Martin Ho as Spurs manager. Beth England’s late penalty was the decisive moment.
Full-time: Liverpool 1-4 Everton
Everton keep up their impressive record at Anfield, winning on their sixth visit in a row there. Kapocs’s opener was cancelled out by Vignola’s excellent equaliser. Snoeijs put Sørensen’s side ahead before the break and Vignola added two more after half-time to complete a hat-trick on her WSL debut.
Full-time: Manchester United 4-0 Leicester
A dominant display from United sends them top of the league, with goals from Toone, Terland and two from Malard ensuring victory was never really in doubt against Leicester.
Villa hit the bar! So close to an opener at Crawley. Wilms bends a free-kick up and over the wall but the ball comes back off the crossbar.
GOAL! Manchester United 4-0 Leicester (Malard 87)
United’s quality is shining through now. Malard sets herself on the edge of the area and bends a shot into the bottom corner out of Leitzig’s reach.
GOAL! Tottenham 1-0 West Ham (England 86pen)
England scores from the spot! Walsh gets a hand to it but not enough to prevent the ball hitting the back of the net. Spurs in front!
Penalty for Spurs! Summanen is clipped as she enters the area. Beth England will take …
Still goalless between Brighton and Villa. Agyemang is left frustrated again as Wilms gets in the way of her effort at the back post.
Leitzig is doing her utmost to redeem herself in the Leicester goal, producing a couple of eye-catching saves to keep out Terland.
Everton hit the post! Van Gool is given plenty of space on the edge of the Liverpool box and leaves Kirby rooted to the spot as her shot comes off the post. Nearly five.
Liverpool really had the stuffing knocked out of them by those quickfire Vignola goals at the start of the second half. The hosts have an xG of 1.17, while Everton just 0.79. Vignola has been substituted.
Latest scores (after about 75 mins):
Brighton 0-0 Aston Villa
Liverpool 1-4 Everton (Kapocs 12; Vignola 24 54 56, Snoeijs 45+4)
Man Utd 3-0 Leicester (Toone 13, Terland 25, Malard 73)
Tottenham 0-0 West Ham
GOAL! Manchester United 3-0 Leicester (Malard 73)
Questions will be asked of the Leicester goalkeeper Leitzig, who comes out for Janssen’s cross but gets nowhere near it. Malard nods the ball into an empty net. That should do for United.
Agyemang hits the post! The Brighton forward cuts on to her right foot and sends a low drive that comes off the foot of the post. Villa’s Anna Patten got just enough of a block on the shot.
Marc Skinner turns to his bench again. Manchester United named just five substitutes for this one and Millie Turner becomes the third to come on. Still 2-0 they lead against Leicester.
Taylor makes two changes for Liverpool to try to salvage something from his first match in charge. Beata Olsson and Kirsty MacLean are on for Kapocs and Nagano.
Vignola becomes the fourth Everton player to score a hat-trick in the WSL after Toni Duggan, Chloe Kelly and Hayley Raso.
Latest scores (after about 60 mins):
Brighton 0-0 Aston Villa
Liverpool 1-4 Everton (Kapocs 12; Vignola 24 54 56, Snoeijs 45+4)
Man Utd 2-0 Leicester (Toone 13, Terland 25)
Tottenham 0-0 West Ham
In the meantime, Jess Park has come on for her Manchester United debut at Leigh. And at Brisbane Road, the injured Szemik has been replaced by Megan Walsh in goal for West Ham.
And with that, Vignola matches her tally from last season: three goals in 28 appearances in Liga F for Granada.
GOAL! Liverpool 1-4 Everton (Vignola 56)
What a day for Everton’s new signing! Vignola completes her hat-trick, cutting inside on to her left foot and a deflection off Woodham takes her shot past Kirby!
GOAL! Liverpool 1-3 Everton (Vignola 54)
Everton go further in front as Vignola scores again! The 20-year-old beats Bonner to Pacheco’s cross and the ball goes in off the underside the bar. Breathing space.
West Ham have got goalkeeper troubles too. Kinga Szemik backpedals to see that a cross doesn’t drop in and she collides with the post. She’s receiving treatment.
Malard can’t convert a good chance for Manchester United to make it 3-0 against Leicester, the France international dragging her shot wide.
Brighton v Aston Villa is also back under way. Villa have had to make a change in goal, with Ellie Roebuck coming on for D’Angelo after a first-half injury.
Golden opportunity for West Ham! Viviane Asseyi’s cross from the left is met by Seraina Piubel at the back post but the Switzerland international’s volley is blazed over from close range. Should have scored.
Second half begins!
The action is under way again at Manchester United, Tottenham and Liverpool. Everton, interestingly at 2-1 up, have made a triple change at half-time. Record signing Ruby Mace is among those to enter the fray.
Manchester United are in control against Leicester, who have had just two training sessions under new interim manager Rick Passmore. I wonder what he’ll ask his side to do at half-time?
Then it’s goalless between Tottenham and West Ham (which is getting better after a drab start) and Brighton and Aston Villa (where a handful of England stars, past and present, are on display).
Everton are yet again enjoying their visit to Anfield, coming from behind in that first half. What a moment for Ornella Vignola too. The highly-rated Spain youth international showed her class with that brilliant equaliser. Snoeijs’s header in first-half stoppage time means they are on course for their sixth successive win at Anfield.
Half-time scores
Brighton 0-0 Aston Villa
Liverpool 1-2 Everton (Kapocs 12; Vignola 24, Snoeijs 45+4)
Manchester United 2-0 Leicester (Toone 13, Terland 25)
Tottenham 0-0 West Ham
GOAL! Liverpool 1-2 Everton (Snoeijs. 45+4)
Pacheco’s cross from the left is met by Katja Snoeijs and Faye Kirby cannot get enough of a glove on the header. On the stroke of half-time, Everton lead!
Tom Garry
Spurs are playing some decent buildup stuff here, intricately working to get the ball out wide to their wingers Araya Dennis and Jessica Naz, both of whom are having a good half in terms of dangerously running at their full-backs and causing problems, but it’s the final ball that’s missing.
Chance for Spurs: Holdt produces a lovely piece of skill down the Tottenham right before Naz’s shot is tame and drifts over the bar.
Goalmouth scramble at Spurs! Lize Kop does well to bat away a West Ham corner from under her own crossbar and pinball ensues. Shekiera Martinez tries to squeeze the ball in but her shot is blocked and Spurs survive.
Off the post! Liverpool threaten to retake the lead in the derby, with Holland cutting inside from the right and seeing her curling shot come back off the post.
Kirby goes close for Brighton, getting in behind the Villa defence and fizzing a low shot beyond the far post.
