‘It’s breathtaking’ – Everton savour slice of WSL history but Manchester United spoil party | OneFootball

“Ooh, this is lovely, isn’t it?” remarked Marc Skinner as he opened the door, merely at the sight of the media theatre as he walked into his press conference after his Manchester United side had won the first Women’s Super League fixture to be staged at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Before kick-off similar sentiments had been expressed around the concourse as 18,154 gathered for Everton women’s first game beside the docks.

Walking around the plaza outside the East Stand, it was clear that, for many of those in attendance, as well as being able to watch this WSL game, they were here because this was their first chance to see this tadium; there are understood to be more than 25,000 people on the waiting list for a men’s season ticket at this ground and many of them were therefore making their debut.

Many families were searching for their loved ones’ names on the personalised bricks along Everton Way, some clutching printed-out maps as they tried to locate them, others visibly emotional as they posed for photographs by a relative’s brick. Some were simply admiring the architecture, such as Eloise from Merseyside, who has watched women’s games at the comparatively primitive Walton Hall Park. “It’s breathtaking, isn’t it?” she said.

Unfortunately for Everton, the football that came closest to being described in the same way was being played by the opposing team. United could have been 3-0 up inside eight minutes and eventually came from a goal down to win 4-1 and preserve their unbeaten start to the league season.

Skinner said his side have become so accustomed to big arenas that they simply took the occasion in their stride: “They are big-time players now, they play like it’s just another pitch in another surrounding. We probably actually had a little bit more of an advantage because Everton don’t usually play here, whereas for us it’s another stadium for us to visit and try and win. It’s a really, really lovely stadium.”

Not all attendees were first-timers. Daryl, from Kirkby, a men’s team season-ticket holder, said: “I wasn’t expecting Everton women to win, but it was a good game and a good attendance. It’s always a good atmosphere at a women’s game because it’s like a family atmosphere, it’s mostly people bringing their kids for the first time and their grandparents for the first time. I love it [the view] because when you’re in the upper tier, it looks far away but you’re actually close to the action.”

The best of that action came from a former Everton player, as Jess Park thrived after coming on as a second-half substitute. Without the winger, the visitors created a flurry of early chances as firstly Lisa Naalsund clipped an effort over the crossbar, before her Norwegian compatriot Elisabeth Terland surprisingly headed wide from around two yards out when a goal had looked certain. Fridolina Rolfö also fired into the side-netting in that early spell of United pressure, before Melvine Malard’s overhead flick was saved by Emily Ramsey.

Against the run of play, Honoka Hayashi scored the first WSL goal inside this stadium, poking home after Phallon Tullis-Joyce could only parry Yuka Momiki’s inswinging free-kick and Hayashi was the fastest to react to the loose ball in the box. But after Park arrived in the second half United levelled when Malard raced on to Hinata Miyazawa’s through ball and scored on the rebound after Ramsey had saved her initial shot. Malard was then involved again when it became 2-1, putting pressure on Hikaru Kitagawa in the box as the defender inadvertently scuffed her attempted clearance into her own net.

Late on, Park was enjoying running at the Everton backline and scored with a low, deflected shot that sent Ramsey in the wrong direction, but there was nothing fortunate about Park’s second and United’s fourth, as she classily found the bottom corner from outside the box. Despite the scoreline, Brian Sørensen, Everton’s manager, said: “It was a great experience and these are the opportunities the new ownership are giving us and we’re really grateful for it. Of course we’re gutted that we couldn’t keep the performance [going] over the 90 minutes but that’s where we are at, at the minute, against a top side like United.”

Header image: [Photograph: Poppy Townson/MUFC/Manchester United/Getty Images]