Everton were held to a goalless draw at Goodison Park in Sunday’s Women’s Super League Merseyside derby against Liverpool. 

The Blues went closest of the two sides to taking the three points in what was a competitive contest in L4 when Lucy Hope smashed a powerful effort onto the underside of the bar in the second half. 

However, the points were eventually shared in front of a bumper crowd at the Grand Old Lady.

The Everton boss made two changes from the team that lined up against Aston Villa, with Emma Bissell and Heather Payne returning to the side in place of Martina Piemonte, who dropped to the bench, and Elise Stevenik, suspended following her dismissal last weekend.  

Liverpool started the brighter of the two sides and generated the first shot on goal when Missy Bo Kearns was found free inside the Everton penalty area - but an excellent Megan Finnigan challenge blocked her shot. 

What followed was a stop-start opening 20 minutes as injuries caused several delays to the play.

First, Everton’s captain caused an early scare when she fell to the floor seemingly still feeling the effects of the earlier defensive block. Thankfully, she was fine to continue after some treatment. 

Goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan was next to need medical attention after a late challenge from Liverpool’s Ceri Holland. The Reds’ attacker picked up a yellow card while the game was paused for six minutes as Everton’s shot-stopper was seen to by the physios. 

The penalised Holland then stayed down minutes after the restart following a slip in a failed attempt to tackle Everton’s Katherine Kuhl. 

The break in play seemed to better suit the Blues who started to get a better foothold in the contest, however, a mistake from Finnigan at the back nearly led to the game’s opener.

She tried to play a ball wide from a central position but passed straight to the feet of Sophie Roman Haug. The Liverpool forward saw Brosnan off her line and drilled a shot from 45 yards out towards goal, but thankfully Brosnan reacted quickly to drop back into her goal and intercept the effort. 

Everton’s best chance of the half followed as Hanna Bennison intercepted a pass in the middle of the pitch and quickly fed a ball into the feet of Wheeler ahead, she drove into the Liverpool box before drilling a low strike that just whisked wide of Rachel Laws’ bottom right post. 

As the game approached half-time, Liverpool had a great chance to take the lead when a deep cross found Jasmine Matthews in the Blues’ penalty area. She fired a powerful strike goalward which Vanaevermaet threw her body at to make a brilliant block, turning the ball behind for a corner. 

The away side attempted to build on that effort with some late pressure in the half, but the Blues remained resolute in their defending to keep the game level at the break. 

It was a cagey start to the second period as both teams struggled for any sustained pressure or chances of note on goal. But as the game hit the hour mark, the Blues started to up the ante with a spell of corners that put the Liverpool backline under increased pressure. 

That pressure nearly told with just under 20 minutes remaining. Bennison and Hope linked with some tidy possession play on the edge of the Liverpool box before the latter struck a sweet shot that smashed off the underside of the bar. Katja Snoeijs attempted to follow up but the ball just wouldn’t bounce for the Everton striker as Liverpool managed to scramble away the danger. 

Eager to capitalise on their growing ascendency in the game, Sørensen made attacking changes as Piemonte and Katrine Veje joined the action in place of Kuhl and Emma Bissell. 

Piemonte was quickly into the thick of things as she teed up Vanaevermaet on the edge of the box, and from there Everton’s No.8 smashed a vicious right-footed strike that was palmed away by Laws at full stretch. 

With just over five minutes, Karen Holmgaard replaced Bennison and so nearly netted the opener. Seconds after entering the pitch, she and Finnigan lept in unison to meet a Payne corner, but both got in each other’s way and the last touch from Finnigan sent the ball high over the bar. 

Holland nearly stole it for the away side after she got the better of Wheeler down Everton’s left, driving all the way into the box before poking a shot low which forced a fine save from Brosnan with her feet. 

That was the last of the goalmouth action as both sides were forced to settle for a share of the spoils.