‘It just wasn’t enough in the second half’ – Phelan on Everton’s Merseyside derby defeat
· Yahoo Sports
Everton’s interim head coach Scott Phelan was disappointed after watching his side go down 3-2 to neighbours Liverpool in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.
A Ceri Holland double and Martina Fernández own goal left Everton three goals down before efforts from Aurora Galli and Zara Kramžar brought some respect back to the scoreline for hosts.
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Speaking to the media after the match, Everton’s interim boss Phelan was hugely disappointed with the result.
“It wasn’t meant to be,” Phelan said. “It was far too enlightened, respectful, For whatever reason, they used a little bit of fear in our game.
“There was a positive response in the second half, which gave us some small hope and it’s urgent moving forward. There were some individual performances that stood out as well.
“Overall, disappointed but we got some small wins in the second half.”
Once again, the Everton fans made themselves heard and Phelan acknowledged their efforts to push the team on.
He said “For whatever team, the academy, whether it’s the men’s, whether it’s the women, the fans are here to support positively. I’ve felt that since the first game at London City. People travelling up and down the country is massively appreciated. Today, we heard that noise in certain moments and it just wasn’t enough to push us over the line in the end.”
Despite the result, one player who gave her all to encourage the team to keep going was goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan. Phelan spoke about the player’s impact both on and off the pitch.
He said “She’s a big personality, she’s obviously a very talented goalkeeper and we’re lucky to have two; we’ve got Courtney, Emily [Ramsey] is another. She’s an important part of our squad, she’s pushing every single day, trying to improve the standards. Emily and Courtney are both a part big part of what we’re trying to do. Courtney has energy, personality and a will to win and drive, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough in the second half.”
Everton now have a four-week break before their next game and Phelan shared his plans to keep the team motivated during this long period.
He said “We’ll train, we’ll recover and we’ll play some [friendly] games in between, that was planned. There’s a motivation and enthusiasm to the trainer over that period of time. Hopefully, that will have worked by the time Chelsea come here and that’s another fixture that we’re looking forward to.”
Everton are currently scheduled to face Chelsea in their next match at Goodison Park on 26 April 2026.