Sorensen praises quintet of new Everton signings

Brian Sorensen praised his new signings after Everton Women rescued a point from their first WSL game on 2025, but it was a stunning strike from Veatriki Sarri and some inspired saves from Courtney Brosnan that helped prevent defeat at Walton Hall Park.

New girls Martina Fernández and Hayley Ladd both made the starting XI against Aston Villa, while Kelly Gago, Emma Watson and latest acquisition, Louna Ribadeira, had to make do with contributions from the bench.

Rachel Daly gave the Villans a deserved lead in a first half where the visitors had the better of the chances, only to find the ever-reliable Brosnan in typical stubborn form.

But with an injection of fresh talent, Sorensen was able to deploy fresh legs and fresh ideas, which ultimately paid off in the dying minutes when substitute Sarri found room in the 18-yard box to lash home and ensure that a share of the spoils remained on Merseyside.

And the manager felt proud of his debuting quintet and is hoping that the connections will soon fall into place.

“All the players we brought in did really well,” said Sorensen. “We want to get the connections right and we’ll build on that,

“Now, we want to play games so we can improve and gel together.

“We’re looking forward to it.”

Sorensen’s sentiment is something echoed by goalscorer Sarri, who spoke of her delight in scoring her first goal for Everton before shifting her attention to the fixture list ahead, which includes a rearranged Women’s FA Cup fixture against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday, 29 January.

“Extremely happy to get that first goal for the Blues,” she said. “It meant so much to me.

“From the first day I have been here, the girls, the staff, the fans, this felt like a great moment to share with the fans.

“The main thing is we got that point, a point on the board which puts us in a good position to start the season again, that’s the most important thing.”

Next up for the Blues is a trip to West Ham United, who currently sit one place and two points below their guests on Sunday, 26 January.

Photo by Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images

And with 11 league games now played and only two wins registered so far, Sorensen knows that his team must gel quickly and start producing victories if they are to start moving away from the bottom end of the WSL.