Aurora Galli scores Everton's second goal — a superb long-range strike into the top corner of the West Ham goal. Emma Simpson/Getty Images
After a historic sell-out Emirates Stadium on Saturday, the Women's Super League was put to the test on Sunday when just 997 fans turned out for the Everton v West Ham United match.< /p>
The 60,160 people who watched Arsenal's victory over Manchester United marked the first time Emirates officially sold out a WSL match and set a new division record.
Arsenal's off-field ambitions coupled with extensive and active marketing have meant that they have attracted large crowds to their usual home ground on numerous occasions over the past 18 months, but the two bottom-half sides' meeting on Sunday, which Everton won by The 2-0 win served as a reminder that Arsenal's big numbers are the exception, not the norm.
Martina Piemonte gives Everton the lead at Walton Hall Park. The victory over West Ham was a victory for the home team. first league win since the reverse fixture in December. Photo: Emma Simpson/Getty Images
However, a turnout as low as Everton's is also outstanding. The 2,959 people in attendance for Brighton's 1-0 home defeat to Liverpool earlier on Sunday were slightly closer to the average, as most WSL games typically draw crowds in excess of several thousand and the first half of the season average the crowd was 7,457. This figure has been growing steadily since England's triumph at Euro 2022.
Neither of the men's boards at Everton and West Ham can currently claim to be doing everything they can to develop the women's game. West Ham women have not been able to play at the London Stadium since 2019. Everton at least return to Goodison Park for the Merseyside derby in March, but for their regular games at Walton Hall Park the setting doesn't scream professional football.
This is an area that is mostly roofless. Behind the technical areas of both teams, television cameras are located on the scaffolding. The temporary structure appears to sway in the wind.
To their credit, the passionate but relatively small group of Everton fans stationed to the left of the press box did their best to make noise, beating drums and singing songs such as 'Spirit of the Blues'. But to the right of the only covered stand, behind the goal that Everton attacked in the second half, there was little atmosphere at times. About 80 percent of the field does not have terraces.
It was a shame that there weren't more people around to witness Aurora Galli's long-range left-footed shot into the top corner for a 2-0 win, just seconds after her Italy colleague Martina Piemonte had headed in scored on debut. target. The quick double gave Everton their first league win since December's second leg away to West Ham.
Caroline Everton Olesen is treated for an upper leg injury before being carried off on a stretcher. Her manager Brian Sorensen said, «It doesn't look good.» Photo: Gary Oakley/Getty Images
«We're very disappointed with the result given the way we played,» West Ham manager Rehanne Skinner said, referring to the back-to-back 2-1 wins they recorded over Arsenal at Bristol City ahead of their trip to »Bristol City». Everton. “Overall we feel we didn't perform at our best today. We were a little hesitant at times without possession and with the ball we didn't provide as much support to the ball carrier as we have in recent games. Consistency is definitely key.”
During stoppage time there were concerns for Everton when Caroline Olesen, a 19-year-old Denmark youth international midfielder, was carried off on a stretcher with an upper leg injury. . A concerned Brian Sorensen confirmed that she was taken to hospital for examination. The Everton manager added: “It doesn’t look good. This is a serious injury.”
The result leaves Everton three points clear of West Ham, two points behind Aston Villa, who recorded an impressive away win at Tottenham. Bristol City remain firmly in the table after losing 5-2 to Leicester City.
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