As the 2023/24 Barclays Women’s Super League season came to a close, Bristol City took on Everton in a game that saw the away side push past the home defence to end their season unbeaten in four games – while the Robins return to the Championship having failed to win at Ashton Gate.
As it happened
Both teams had clear aims heading into the game: Bristol City were looking for their first home win of the season, and Everton wanted to extend their three-game unbeaten streak.
Bristol City held possession early on into the game, despite shots still coming from Everton. Jamie-Lee Napier took the first attempt for City, winding the ball past the crowd, leading to a corner for the home team, which couldn’t quite cut past the firing line needed to gain the lead.
The home team’s possession came to a halt when Katja Snoeijs came in close with a clear shot from just outside the box, easily directing it to the back of the net to start off the scoring. It didn’t take long after this for Everton to double their lead, as Sara Holmgaard received a neat pass and fired the ball past Fran Bentley, who had misjudged the shot.
Embed from Getty ImagesSome back and forth continued between the teams in the home team’s offensive zone before the ball came over the line and back into play for Everton. It was clear from this point that City’s focus was their defensive strategies, following the prolific scoring spell that the away side had displayed over the past ten minutes.
The second half was quickly underway with a substitution for the home side that saw Ella Powell come on in place of Shania Hayles. It didn’t take long for Everton to regain their momentum, with Emma Bissell pushing another goal past Bentley within the first three minutes, once again extending their lead.
Katrine Veje was the next to make an attempt on goal; however, Bentley managed to scoop the ball into her reach through the crowd that had formed to deny them another as Martina Piemonte came on in placement of Aurora Galli .
Another hopeful attempt for Everton trailed with Eleanor Dale shooting from the right of the box, which took a diversion to skim past the goal in the final few minutes. An extra four minutes were added, which saw the Robins make an attempt to walk away from the game with at least one on the board; however, Everton reached the mark first, with Piemonte sealing the scoreline of 4-0.
The lineups
BCI: Bentley; Morgan, Napier, Struck; Connolly, Aspin, Rodgers, Syme; Sayles, Thestrup, Jones
EVE: Brosnan; Galli, Holmgaard, Veje; Finnigan, Vanhaevermaet, Bennison, Wheeler; Kuhl; Snoeijs, Bissell