Brian Sorensen expressed concern that his Everton team might have suffered another significant injury, as they await the results of a scan on their summer signing Inma Gabarro’s knee following a narrow defeat by Manchester United in the Women’s Super League. When Gabarro, the Spain midfielder, went down in pain near the corner flag in the first half, the crowd’s sudden silence spoke volumes. For Sorensen, whose team had just learned that Italy midfielder Aurora Galli had sustained a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury, this was the last thing he wanted to see.
“It’s not what any team wants. The problem for us is we are really hurting, it’s two key players for us. I feel powerless, I can’t do anything about it, but I really feel for her,” Sorensen said of Gabarro. “[It is] not good. I think it’s a big one again. Let’s see when the result comes back, but it’s not good. It’s tough but let’s see what the scan says and take it from there.” Gabarro, a promising summer signing from Sevilla, had landed awkwardly after a seemingly harmless collision with United’s left-back Leah Galton and was clutching her leg in apparent distress. The physiotherapy team immediately signaled that she would need to be substituted, and after about seven minutes of treatment in front of a sympathetic group of United supporters, the 21-year-old was carried off on a stretcher, with her head in her hands.
By then, Everton were already trailing to a fourth-minute goal scored by their former player Grace Clinton. The England midfielder intercepted Justine Vanhaevermaet’s somewhat wayward cross-field pass and fully capitalized. She still had plenty to do but made easy work of turning past Megan Finnigan and firing past Courtney Brosnan from 10 yards. It was Clinton’s second goal in as many league games for United and proved to be the game’s winning goal. Marc Skinner, the United manager, praised Clinton, saying: “You always get the glory when you’re the goalscorer but her pressing was really good today. There were really good moments from her.”
Despite a momentary lapse in concentration from Vanhaevermaet, the home team played some promising football in the first half and were frustrated when the Netherlands striker Katja Snoeijs’s close-range effort was blocked on the line by the England defender Maya Le Tissier. United, though, looked strong with their new midfield of Dominique Janssen, Clinton, and Lisa Naalsund combining well. Before kick-off, and for much of the first half, a small group of people just outside the stadium were repeatedly setting off fireworks behind the goal that Brosnan was defending in the first 45 minutes. Sadly, there were not many sparks in the game itself, which was at times low on goalmouth action and clear-cut chances. Melvine Malard, on as a substitute for United, saw a left-footed strike well saved by Brosnan late on, after Hinata Miyazawa’s effort had earlier been blocked by Vanhaevermaet, but it was a relatively even game with little to warm the crowd on an unseasonably cold afternoon.
Nonetheless, the result gave the visitors a second win from their opening two games of the season and Skinner, who wished Gabarro well, said of the match: “The wind played a part for both teams. It was tight. I felt we did enough to win the game but it wasn’t going to be a landslide, I thought Everton were really good. They unfortunately got an injury early on which affected them. I’m happy with the three points and happy to come away with another clean sheet, so it’s a good start.” Skinner, whose side opened with a 3-0 home win against West Ham eight days earlier, was also pleased to record a second successive clean sheet, saying: “[The goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce] was excellent again today. There was a lot made of ‘she’s trying to replace Mary [Earps]’ – she’s not. It’s not about replacing Mary. Phallon always had that quality, she’s just now got an opportunity to show it. She made some big saves [today], she was tidy. Her footwork was excellent today. It was a top performance.”
