It is a testament to the quick transformation that Everton have positioned themselves as the side to beat in the WSL and across their 3-1 loss to reigning champions Chelsea, they looked the part.
But they remain a work in progress, even if Everton cut a team transformed on Sunday from the one manager Brian Sorensen first laid eyes on last March in the reverse fixture when the Toffees failed, again, to put to bed a grim run of eight WSL matches without a goal against Chelsea, the longest ever run by a team against a single opponent in the competition’s history.
While that unenviable streak is finally put to rest, work remains to be done after a match that was alarmingly open, consistently full-throttle affair from start to finish. The home side immediately established the tempo as they pressed Chelsea’s backline from the off. Everton right wing-back Lucy Graham saw two early chances fizz wide, while Hanna Bennison, Jess Park and Elise Isolde Stevenik did well to win back possession and pile on the pressure.
