Brighton condemn Everton to sixth straight WSL home defeat

At a glance

  • Everton are yet to pick up a point at Goodison Park since switching to the ground at start of the season

  • Jelena Cankovic slotted Brighton in front with first league goal this season

  • Chiamaka Nnadozie made an outstanding late save to deny Everton's Maz Pacheco

  • PLAYER RATINGS

Joe Rindl
BBC Sport journalist

Everton's wait for a first point at Goodison Park this season continued after Brighton handed them a sixth consecutive home defeat in the Women's Super League.

Kiko Seike blocked Everton defender Martina Fernandez's clearance and cut the ball back for Jelena Cankovic to net the winner four minutes before half-time.

It was the Serb's first league goal of the campaign.

Everton's best chance of an equaliser came in the 81st minute when Melissa Lawley caused problems and the ball deflected into the path of fellow substitute Maz Pacheco, but Seagulls keeper Chiamaka Nnadozie raced off her line to deny her from close range.

Nnadozie had already made another fine save five minutes into the second half, recovering well after passing the ball straight to Toni Payne and keeping out the forward's finish.

Despite those chances, Brighton were the better team for much of the match and almost added a second in the 53rd minute when Cankovic's shot from a few yards out was caught by Everton keeper Courtney Brosnan.

The Seagulls moved up to sixth in the table with their first league win since December 7, while a ninth loss from their 13 league matches kept the hosts in 10th spot.

Everton are four points clear of bottom side Liverpool, but all eight of their points have come away from home.

Analysis: Goodison move becomes nightmare with Gago absence felt

Everton made Goodison Park the largest dedicated women's stadium in the country when they moved into the 113-year-old former Everton men's ground this summer.

They had played there, and won there, before the announced switch, beating Liverpool 1-0 in the Merseyside derby back in November 2024.

But the club have not benefited from the move as they had hoped.

Instead, Everton have become just the fifth team to lose their first six home games of a WSL season.

Their last home success was at Walton Hall Park in March 2025 when they cruised past bottom club Crystal Palace 3-0.

The only time they have avoided defeat in front of their own fans this term was in the League Cup in October when they beat Championship side Nottingham Forest on penalties following a 1-1 draw.

Against Brighton they were largely outplayed and never looked like creating history with that elusive first victory.

With Payne delivering three dangerous crosses into the box, the absence of French striker Kelly Gago was felt.

She was left out of the squad after the 27-year-old told French newspaper L'Equipe that Everton had blocked a move to Paris St-Germain.

Everton boss Brian Sorensen, managing his 100th game in charge of the club on Friday night, said Gago was "free to go" if another club met the release clause in her contract.

Player of the match

J. Čanković
8.50
3 R. Ishikawa
6.00
9 T. Payne
5.40
14 M. Lawley
5.33
33 M. Pacheco
5.00
13 H. Kitagawa
4.71
29 Y. Momiki
4.67
24 K. Weir
4.50
30 R. Mace
4.33
7 C. Wheeler
4.14
2 H. Blundell
4.00
6 H. Hayashi
4.00
5 Martina Fernández
3.86
18 Ornella Vignola
3.43
8 R. van Gool
3.40
1 C. Brosnan
3.38
22 A. Galli
3.00
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