Everton v West Ham United women's team
Barclays Women's Super League, Walton Hall Park, Sunday 18 February 2024, 1pm GMT
West Ham United women's team head to Merseyside on Sunday in their quest to make it three wins in a row in the Barclays Women's Super League (WSL).
The Irons beat Bristol City and then defeated Arsenal at Chigwell Construction Stadium to secure back-to-back wins for the first time under manager Rehanne Skinner's leadership.
Those victories have given everyone at Chadwell Heath a boost as the Irons rose from eleventh up to ninth in the 12-team WSL table, and collecting another three points at Walton Hall Park could see Skinner's side climb above Leicester City and Everton into seventh place.
The Blues kick-off in tenth, one place below their visitors. They also have eleven points, but have lost four WSL games in a row and their inferior goal difference means they sit below the Hammers.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of the game...
Tickets...
Tickets are available to purchase directly from Everton’s official website, priced at £10 for Adults and £5 for Concessions.
Walton Hall Park is situated in a 130-acre park in the Walton area of north Liverpool, which is a 15-minute taxi or bus ride from the city centre and less than a mile walk from Goodison Park. It is served by the 19 and X3 bus routes.
There is no parking available at Walton Hall Park, and restrictions are enforced in local residential roads, so be mindful of where you leave your vehicle if you choose to drive.
How To Follow...
Sunday's fixture will be broadcast live on the FA Player, which you can watch for free!
You can also follow the action across our social media channels, while highlights and exclusive reactions will follow after the final whistle on whufc.com.
The Opposition...
Heading into Sunday’s contest, both sides are locked on eleven points in the WSL standings, with the Hammers one place ahead of their hosts due to a superior goal difference.
Everton have struggled to find consistency since the turn of the year, losing league matches against Arsenal, Leicester City and most recently, Chelsea. However, last weekend they did clinch a morale-boosting 7-1 win over Nottingham Forest to advance into the quarter-finals of the Women’s FA Cup.
The Blues will host West Ham's fourth-round conquerors Chelsea in the last eight, but will also hope to collect enough points from their remaining nine WSL matches to avoid any threat of relegation.
The person charged with leading Everton to safety is manager Brian Sørensen, who was appointed in April 2022 following a successful career in his native Denmark. There, he won two league titles with Fortuna Hjørring, a Danish Cup with FC Nordsjælland and led both clubs into the UEFA Women's Champions League.
In his first season in charge in 2022/23, the 43-year-old guided the squad to a sixth-place finish with 30 points. Overall, Sørensen has led the Toffees to eleven wins in 30 WSL games.
The two clubs have met nine times previously in all competitions. The Hammers have won three, the Toffees have won four, with two draws.
From The Manager...
“I’ve said all season that when you start to get consistency, you will get the benefits of the results and performances,” Skinner told reporters in Wednesday's pre-match press conference.
“At the end of the day, it’s very close at the bottom half of the table and we want to focus on doing what we have been doing for the last couple of games which is the way we approach it, the way we want to play, and ensure we become consistent with that.
“It’s all about trusting the process and although that can be hard sometimes, everyone in here knows what they are doing and the direction of travel.
“This weekend is another game and we’re looking to get as many points out of the games remaining for the rest of the season as we possibly can.”
