A 93rd-minute Lauren James goal broke Everton’s resistance as the Women’s Super League leaders were made to struggle for all three points at Kingsmeadow.
It was Everton who broke the deadlock with Kelly Gago putting the visitors ahead six minutes after half-time. The lead barely lasted over 10 minutes as Mayra Ramirez cancelled out the opener.
While the match seemed to be petering out towards a draw – with Everton potentially being only the second team to take points from Chelsea Women this season – Lauren James came out of the blue and her vicious effort from 25 yards broke the visitor’s resistance.
Despite having nothing to show for their efforts, the silver lining for Brian Sørensen’s side is in the way they managed to frustrate the league leaders for extended intervals. Besides a single instance in the first half where Courtney Brosnan repelled Maelys Mpome’s, the Everton keeper remained untested.
The Toffees then took the lead against the run of play. Justine Vanhaevermaet, brought on at half-time, recovered the ball in the middle of the park and sprayed a lovely pass to Toni Payne. Payne’s pass was overhit but Gago adjusted her body for a first-time finish that silenced the home crowd.
The hosts didn’t take long to restore parity with Johanna Rytting finding Ramirez in the box and her low shot beat Brosnan. Everton survived further scares when Aggie Beever-Jones hit the woodwork twice.
The Toffees came very close to becoming the only side since Leicester last December to take points away from Chelsea this season until James decided to step up in the dying seconds.
For Everton, this was a case of deja vu. They had surrendered a one-goal lead and lost 4-1 to Chelsea in the FA Cup at the same venue last weekend. This time, though, they came closer to a positive result before falling short.