Phelan Delighted With World Sevens Experience As Toffees Reach Final Four

Scott Phelan says Everton have loved every minute of their World Sevens experience after the Toffees reached the semi-finals of the competition’s first ever London edition, eventually going down 5-2 to Manchester United in the final four.

The Toffees were 3-2 down but on top in the second half against United before two deflected goals put paid to their hopes of a place in the final at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium.

Everton provided plenty of entertainment on and off the pitch over the week, dancing their way into the stadium to huge ovations and performing a series of innovative, choreographed walkouts onto the pitch in Brentford to much acclaim.

On the pitch, Everton followed up an extra time defeat to eventual champions Chelsea with a hard-fought 2-1 win over London City Lionesses and a record-breaking 8-2 victory over Leicester City, with Phelan’s side scoring the most goals by a team in a single match in World Sevens history.

Players and staff have fully embraced the feeling of excitement and fun around World Sevens, a tournament which Phelan says has allowed his squad to show a much different side than supporters usually see.

“It's important we represent the club well, but off the pitch the girls have been amazing to be around,” Phelan told evertonfc.com.

“They could express themselves in a way that we try and encourage anyway, but it's been tenfold in this (tournament).

“Just (with) the sense of occasion, the atmosphere that's created by the format, but also the energy in the stadium, the music – it's been really, really fun to be a part of, and I think the girls have enjoyed themselves.

“For us to be able to show a different side of our personality (over) this last two or three days is important because we've got some unbelievable footballers, but actually some even better people in the group.

"People don't really get to see that side of them. You'll see them for 90 minutes on a match day, when it's at its most serious. This hasn't been that (and) it’s been amazing for the fans to see the players in a different light.

"It's a shame we didn't get to the final, but that's part of it, and the bigger picture is that they've enjoyed it and made some memories."

On-loan Manchester United defender Hannah Blundell played a major part in a light-hearted funeral-themed walkout ahead of that semi-final against the Red Devils, and says the World Sevens has allowed the squad to showcase a different side of themselves to supporters.

“With the vibe of this group, you just have a blast the whole time,” said Blundell.

“In this tournament, we’ve been able to show everyone’s personalities and I think you can see in our team, those personalities we have are fantastic.

“Everyone has been on-board with it, and it’s amazing to be a part of.

“Finally the fans can see the fun side to us, instead of the serious side. We like to have a laugh, have a joke and everyone’s joined in. It’s great.”