Ornella Vignola joins elite WSL group after sensational hat-trick on Everton Women’s debut
Ornella Vignola wrote herself into Everton folklore on Sunday as she netted a hat-trick against Liverpool Women on her debut.
The Spaniard was unplayable, with Everton demolishing the Reds at Anfield 4-1.
Vignola has been rightly praised for her performance for Everton, in what was likely a better debut than she could have ever imagined.
Now, the attacker has also written herself into WSL history for her sensational performance at Anfield.
Ornella Vignola becomes only the second WSL player ever to score a hat-trick on her debut
The attacker’s three goals against Liverpool has resulted in multiple stunning feats being achieved.
It became clear on Sunday that Vignola’s hat-trick against Liverpool was the first by any Everton star since 1931.
Now, according to Opta on 8 September, the 20-year-old’s attacking display has written her into multiple history books.
Vignola has now become only the second WSL player ever to net a hat-trick on her debut, with Kiko Seike being the other for Brighton last year.
- Vignola signed for Everton from Granda
- The attacker is only 20 years old
- Vignola netted a sensational hat-trick on her competitive Everton debut
On top of this, the Spaniard is also the fourth youngest WSL player to net a hat-trick at 20 years and 342 days old, and is the youngest for Everton in the division.
Now, Vignola could break another record next weekend when the Toffees host Tottenham at Goodison Park.
If she scores hat-trick in the game, she will beat Rachel Williams’ record for the most goals scored in their first two appearances, which currently stands at five.
If this happens, it would certainly be one of the best starts to any career in history.
What did Brian Sorensen say about Ornella Vignola’s performance?
Everton Women’s manager, Brian Sorensen brought Vignola into the Toffees this summer, although it is safe to say he didn’t think such an impact on her debut.
Speaking to BBC Sport at full-time on 7 September, the 45-year-old was no doubt impressed by her display.
He said: “No! Not three goals from her. I expected her to score, which is why I started her. She was superb, and she has been like that in training.
“Her runs are so well-timed, and the way she faces up and goes at players, she is excellent. She just wants to score.
“I said to her afterwards she has set the benchmark for what I want to see. She is still a young player though, so let’s see. Today was a good debut.”
Sign up for the Goodison News WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking Everton news sent straight to your phone.