NewsGareth Taylor column: Anfield derby joy, meeting Andoni Iraola and another busy week
I was really proud of the performance and also proud of the opportunity that we got to share that at Anfield with the fans.
The support we got was fantastic and they were with us from minute one.
It was great to score the early goal and I think it’s really good for Beata’s [Olsson] confidence to get her first goal of the season because we really value her regardless of her goals.
She will be feeling better but she should be feeling good anyway because she brings a lot to the team.
Scoring from a set-piece was great and Jordan [Kevan] works tremendously hard in training with them on that and we look a real threat.
There was good energy about us. We attacked the game early and we wanted to make it difficult for Everton and put them on the back foot.
We had a lot of opportunities, especially in the second half, to improve on our lead. The first half was also good but we needed to make more of our moments and create better opportunities.
We certainly had better opportunities in the second half but we just weren’t able to stick that second one in the back of the net.
But I think the players kept knocking on the door consistently. We didn’t let it deter us and we kept getting in there and that showed real bravery.
Kappy [Cornelia Kapocs] got our second goal in front of the Kop at the end and that put the icing on the cake.
I brought Kirsty Maclean back into the team after injury and she did really well, considering we kept her out of the cup game in midweek to try to get her ready for this game.
Natalia Ramos is doing great for us, as is Khiara Keating in goal. That was a great experience for them, playing for Liverpool at Anfield, and they will get better and better.
Natalia could easily have had a hat-trick but the pleasing thing for me is she is there. She gives a lot of energy to the team with and without the ball, and her personality is really good. She has made a really good start.
It’s a testament to the group we have got that she has settled so quickly and testament to herself because she has been open to adapt and she has done really well.
The players that came off the bench also made a real impression on the game as well and Alice [Bergstrom] was important for us. She showed her quality and made the goal for Kappy.
All you can ask for really is the team to be together and that is what we were.
It was fantastic to meet men’s head coach Andoni Iraola and his family on Sunday. That was really nice.
For him to be coming to our game, bringing his family, bringing his children, I think it speaks volumes of that support.
We work so hard in our own fields that sometimes you don't get the opportunity to go and have a coffee with him and vice versa.
It was also great to see Julian [Ward] there as well and we congratulate him on his new role as sporting director.
There is a really good connection with those guys and this club, and we were so grateful that they came to support us on Sunday and roar us on to victory.
We now face another Subway Players Cup game away at Birmingham City on Wednesday night before we face Manchester United on Sunday in the Barclays Women’s Super League.
It’s another quick turnaround and, particularly with the game against Manchester United, we just need to get the balance right between trying to keep some structure in there but also opportunities for others.
It’s a good chance for some of the players to get on the pitch again, like they did against Sunderland last week.
It will be nice to see Mark Beard, who is a coach with Birmingham, again on Wednesday night.
We are former teammates at Sheffield United and since Matt’s sad passing in difficult circumstances we have been in contact a lot. Sometimes grief can bring you closer together, so it will be nice to see him and check in and see how he is getting on.
We need to recover quickly and we are going to need everyone we have got and do all the right things in between to make sure we are conditioned right.
After the international break we will have nine games during that period, so it’s pretty full on and it will stretch us again. But so far the players have really stood up to that challenge.
YNWA,
Gareth
Gareth Taylor was speaking to Liverpoolfc.com’s Steve Hunter