Everton 2-0 West Ham United: Martina Piemonte and Aurora Galli seal WSL home win

Everton earned their first Women’s Super League home win of the season thanks to late goals from Martina Piemonte and Aurora Galli.

Piemonte then teed up fellow Italian Galli with four minutes to go and she lashed a powerful effort into the top corner. Everton ended a run of four straight WSL defeats with the victory at Walton Hall Park.

The only negative for Everton boss Brian Sorensen was a serious injury to substitute Karoline Olesen, who was taken off on a stretcher, which resulted in a lengthy extension to added time.

“It is a bad one,” Sorensen said after the game. “It’s not a broken leg which we thought at the beginning. It is not a knee [injury] either. We’ll have to wait and see.”

West Ham began the game more confidently and Katrina Gorry flashed an early low shot just past the post.

Moments later Viviane Asseyi thought she had put the Hammers in front with an effort at the back post before it was hooked away by Megan Finnigan, only for the officials to decide there was an infringement.

Everton passed the ball intelligently in the first half but too frequently their fine build-up play would amount to little and they failed to really test Mackenzie Arnold in West Ham’s goal.

Riko Ueki went close for the Hammers on the stroke of half-time but her ambitious shot from the corner of the box missed by a matter of inches.

Both sides made changes in the second half with the lively Kristie Mewis a threat for the Hammers with her directness.

With the game seemingly heading for stalemate, Everton snatched the points.

Galli lifted a high ball into the box from a free-kick and 74th-minute substitute Piemonte climbed highest to head the ball over the flat-footed Arnold.

There was nothing Arnold could have done about Everton’s second shortly afterwards as Galli cut inside from the right flank and fired in a stunning effort.

Blues show battling qualities

With matches against Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United to come in their next four fixtures this was a key game for the Toffees.

Having scored just 10 goals in 13 WSL games before this game, Everton’s struggle in front of goal this season have been obvious.

Too often in the game Everton’s clever passing sequences and neat interplay fizzled out in the final third with the final ball found wanting.

Indeed, West Ham actually looked the more threatening of the two teams and for much of the game Everton had to roll up their sleeves and battle.

Sorensen’s decision to leave Piemonte, who had scored just once in 10 games before this match, on the bench seemed to have the desired effect.

The Italy striker looked ready to prove a point when she came on and showed tremendous determination in a crowded box to head Everton in front.

The victory meant Everton leapfrogged the Hammers into ninth spot and, crucially, put more distance between themselves and WSL bottom side Bristol City.