KINGSTON, 7 DEC — Everton’s Honoka Hayashi scored the historic goal in the eleventh minute on Sunday to end Chelsea’s record-breaking 34 league game streak at Kingsmeadow.
One of many slip-ups that Everton took advantage of throughout the hard-fought game, the Japanese midfielder saw the perfect opportunity after Livia Peng stepped off her line to get the winner for her side.
“We knew today was gonna be such a tough game and we know the quality that Chelsea has,” said Everton goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan. “They were gonna be down our throats for most of the game. We all put our bodies on the line and we knew that if we walked out of here with a clean sheet then we’d be on our way to the three points, and we’re happy that we did that.”
The Irish goalkeeper earned player of the match following her sharp performance, keeping a clean sheet despite Chelsea’s 30 shots and six on target.
“Goalkeeping is a huge physical game, but I think mostly it’s just mental,” Brosnan said. “I think it’s that mentality and keeping that calmness and composure, and to not let yourself get too high when things are going well and not too low when things aren’t going well. Keeping that level calmness and that level headedness really makes a massive difference in making those saves.”
Sonia Bompastor’s side struggled to find their rhythm, and after using four of her five available subs with Sam Kerr, Sjoeke Nusken, Niamh Charles, and Wieke Kaptein, the previously unbeatable Chelsea was outsmarted by tenth place Everton.
“It’s really frustrating,” Bompastor said. “It’s tough, but if we analyse the performance, if you look at the statistics, I don’t think that the players could have done a lot more or better.”
The Blues held nearly 79 percent possession, but the witty performance from Everton poked holes in Chelsea’s midfield-lacking lineup.
After their first league loss in nearly two years, Chelsea will now prepare for AS Roma on Wednesday in the UWCL, and Brighton next up in the league on 14 December.
