Willie Kirk praised his side’s spirited second-half performance after Everton fell just short of completing a memorable comeback against Manchester United on Sunday.
The match was a historic occasion for Kirk’s Blues with his team playing their first match at their new purpose-built Walton Hall Park home.
Despite a promising start to the match which saw Everton create a number of opportunities, the Toffees found themselves three goals down with 30 minutes left to play. Leah Galton’s first-half double and Ella Toone’s strike after the break put United in a commanding position.
The Blues showcased their resolve to battle their way back into the contest, however. Dan Turner and Lucy Graham struck to bring the score back to 3-2 but, despite late pressure, Everton could not find an equaliser to secure what Kirk believes would have been a deserved point.
“I thought on the balance of play we deserved to take a point but, first and foremost, the occasion was fantastic in terms of moving to a new home,” Kirk told evertonfc.com.
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“We were really poor for the third goal and that made it hard for ourselves to get back into the game. But the way they fought their way back into the game in the second half was really encouraging.”
The Everton boss is excited by what the future holds for Everton at Walton Hall Park.
Kirk added: “It was a special day, we are looking forward to making this place a home and making life difficult for visiting teams when they play here.
“The players gave the fans something to shout about in last 15 minutes which was great. The fans had as much a part to play as the players in nearly completing that comeback, we thought it was almost written in the stars with it being our first game at Walton Hall Park.
“I just feel so sorry for the players not to get anything from the game, on the balance of play I really thought we should have taken something."
Everton will be looking to make it into the last four of the Women’s FA Cup when they host Chelsea in the quarter finals at Walton Hall Park on Sunday 15 March.
