Brian Sorensen shares blueprint for others to follow as Everton Women end remarkable Chelsea run
Brian Sorensen hailed Everton Women’s defensive resilience as they inflicted a first Women’s Super League loss on Chelsea since May 2024.
Honoka Hayashi turned home Toni Payne’s cross at the back post to earn Everton a 1-0 win at Kingsmeadow on Sunday afternoon.
It is the first time Chelsea have lost under Sonia Bompastor, and the first time they have lost at all in the competition in a record-spanning 34 games.
Courtney Brosnan was crowned Player of the Match for a string of saves to keep Chelsea at bay in what was a huge shock.
Everton Women stun Chelsea Women at Kingsmeadow
Everton Women have had some standout moments this season, not least earning Merseyside derby bragging rights.
This will take some beating, though, as Chelsea were caught out at the back and then were unable to find a response.
Speaking to BBC Sport after the match, delighted manager Sorensen was asked how his side went about the stunning win.
“We planned two, three different presses against them,” he said. “They normally change the set-up. But today they kept doing the same, of course, a lot of rotations in the team. We were good a communicating and dealing with that.
“Of course they had a lot of the ball, but only one big chance. I thought we were in control defensively, we wanted to do a bit more offensively but it’s hard when they are chasing and going at you with such a strong team.
“We have been talking about tightening up the defence because we are actually scoring goals now. They got the message and did it to perfection.”
Sorensen also used the word “luck” in the interview, but Everton Women were anything by lucky.
WSL standings after Chelsea’s loss to Everton
Chelsea had 79 per cent of possession at Kingsmeadow, highlighting their dominance of the ball, while they had a remarkable 30 shots.
Six of those were on target, but ultimately none of them ended up in the back of the net.
| Position | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points | GD |
| 9 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 8 | -6 |
Everton, meanwhile, had three touches in the opposition box compared to 64 for Chelsea. Again, though, all that matters is what you do with the ball.
This win – just a second in 10 outings for Everton this term – lifts Sorensen’s side up to ninth place, while Chelsea stay second.
The West London side are six points behind leaders Manchester City, who were 3-0 winners against Leicester City earlier on Sunday.
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