Everton Continue Unbeaten Pre-Season With Foxes Win

Everton continued their preparations for their second season at Goodison Park by defeating Leicester City 4-2 in a pre-season friendly behind the closed doors of the Foxes’ training ground.

Rick Passmoor’s side took the lead via Sam Tierney, but goals from Maz Pacheco, Rosa van Gool, Yuka Momiki and Ornella Vignola secured victory for the Blues, who remain undefeated after five pre-season fixtures.

Club captain Megan Finnigan played an hour of the clash – the skipper stepping up her recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the East Midlands.

Courtney Brosnan was trusted in between the sticks, with a backline of Hikaru Kitagawa, Rion Ishikawa, Finnigan and Hannah Blundell in front of her.

Aurora Galli, Honoka Hayashi and van Gool lined the midfield, with Pacheco and Momiki deployed on the wings, whilst Zara Kramzar led the line.

Everton started on the front-foot as Kramzar rattled the crossbar inside the opening five minutes. Hayashi whipped a curling ball in to the area from deep, with Kramzar elegantly meeting it with her back turned to goal. Her back-heeled effort struck the goal’s frame, denying the Slovenian a wonder goal.

It was the hosts who opened the scoring, though, as Tierney’s dipping volley nestled in to the top right corner on 10 minutes.

With 25 minutes on the clock, Pacheco restored parity after meeting Finnigan’s low-cross from the unfamiliar right flank.

Goalscorer turned provider four minutes later to complete the turnaround. Pacheco crept behind the Foxes’ backline to reach Galli’s inch-perfect, lofted ball. Her delicate header back across goal was nodded home by van Gool, who also netted the winner against Newcastle United this pre-season.

On the stroke of half-time, Everton doubled their advantage as Kitagawa’ dangerous cross was turned home by Japanese compatriot Momiki.

The forward’s goal concluded the opening 45, with Vignola, Ruby Mace, Ellie Jones and Rylee Foster replacing Momiki, Ishikawa, Galli and Brosnan at the break.

Ten minutes in to the second-half, Pacheco set the tone by rifling an effort from 25-yards out in to the palms of Katie Keane.

On the hour mark, Noemie Mouchon, Hannah Cain, Hannah Silcock and Holly McNamara replaced Kramzar, Hayashi, Blundell and Finnigan.

One minute later, Mouchon bolted forward to latch on to Mace's chipped through ball. The French forward looked to beat Keane at the front-post, but was thwarted by the tall-standing keeper.

Keane was in the thick of the action once more eight minutes later as the shot-stopper denied McNamara after the Aussie arrowed a half-volley at goal.

The keeper was then beaten as Vignola made it four only two minutes later. The lively Mouchon brought down a half-clearance brilliantly and looked to squeeze the ball past Keane at the near-post. The travelling ball fell in to the path of the anticipating Vignola, who happily capitalised on the empty net in front of her.

The referee then concluded the affair, with season tickets for the exciting 2026/27 campaign on sale now!