Willie Kirk says Everton’s exceptional 2-1 victory over Chelsea on Sunday owed much to his team’s “incredible determination and resilience”, as he revealed his pride in writing a new chapter in the Club’s storied FA Cup history at Goodison Park.

The Toffees recovered from the hammer blow of a fifth-minute Erin Cuthbert goal to strike either side of half-time and book a semi-final meeting with Birmingham City on Wednesday.

Everton successfully withstood some sustained pressure from Chelsea in the early stages of the game and gradually exerted control in a fiercely competitive cup tie.

Superb headers from skipper Lucy Graham and summer signing Valerie Gauvin saw Everton complete a fabulous turnaround against the reigning WSL champions.

Kirk told evertontv: “The magic of the cup, the magic of Goodison – to experience them both at the same time…it was just fantastic.

“There have been some great historical FA Cup wins here by the Club. We can say we are part of that history now.

“We had a poor first 35 minutes, but the way the girls clawed themselves back into the game, when the game could have been done…we dug in and showed a lot of character, resilience and incredible determination.

“That gave the players confidence, along with a few choice words at half-time. We then pushed on in the second half.

“Obviously, with Chelsea behind, they started throwing everything at us. Our goalkeeper [Sandy MacIver] had a good game but I don’t think she was player of the match.

“I’m delighted we don’t have a day off on Wednesday – we have a cup semi-final to look forward to.”

Kirk’s team went into the Chelsea clash having won their opening two WSL games of the season.

The Everton boss believes his side’s victory over one of Europe’s best sides will further enhance the burgeoning confidence within his squad.

“We’ve got belief now,” he added.

“I know how good these players are and I’ve said it several times. It was time to put that into action and show it on the pitch.

“We talked about turning dreams into reality. We’ve done that today, and that’s really important.

‘This game can be a springboard to having a fantastic season. The whole group, the players - even the girls who didn’t feature today - played their part in preparing us to get this result.

“We said at the start of the 2019/20 season that we wanted to go to the FA Cup final at Wembley – and it’s still within our grasp.

“We can’t get too excited, but we’re all looking forward to the semi-final on Wednesday.”