Willie Kirk says Everton’s performance to comprehensively down Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday was his side’s best of a promising campaign.
Everton maintained their grip on a top-four position after goals from Molly Pike, Maeva Clemaron and Hannah Graham secured a fifth win from seven Women’s Super League games for Kirk’s team.
Tottenham levelled Pike’s sixth-minute strike when forward Lucy Quinn pounced on goalkeeper Tinja-Riikka Korpela’s heavy touch to prod home.
But France international Clemaron headed in to restore her side’s advantage on 25 minutes. And Graham, scorer of Everton’s derby-winning goal at Liverpool seven days earlier, swatted a fabulous first-time strike from 18 yards into the top corner 11 minutes after half-time to underline the Blues' superiority.
And Kirk insisted Everton's compelling response to their 19th-minute setback was indicative of the strides made by his side this term.
“That was our best performance this season,” Kirk told evertontv.
“We have had a lot of good results, especially in the league, but performance-wise it was probably our best across 90 minutes.
“The goal [conceded] was frustrating and the way we lost it could have promoted a negative emotional response.
“But we dealt with it really well and got straight back to where we’d been, which was good.”
Everton have won three league games on the spin following a comfortable 2-0 success against Brighton & Hove Albion and last week’s notable derby victory.
Kirk’s team have conceded only five goals and scored 11 in their seven matches, the manager overseeing a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for a side which won three of its 20 league games last term and finished one place off the foot of the division.
Everton face their sternest test yet this term when they face Chelsea at Southport on Sunday – but will be buoyed by the sight of a league table which has them three points ahead of fancied Manchester United in fifth and only three adrift of second-placed powerhouse Manchester City.
“We have seen the character in the team in previous games,” continued Kirk.
“Last week against Liverpool was the perfect example.
“It was a fortuitous goal to put us 1-0 up and it was character which made sure we went on to win.
“The players trust each other, it is a strong group, a strong 20-player squad.
“Things like that [Tottenham equaliser] might have affected us last year.
“But it is a completely different group this year in terms of character and mentality and you saw that in the way we bounced back from such a careless goal.
“We had been doing great until then but it didn’t knock us out of our stride at all and that is a big compliment to the players.”
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