Hanging on the upper level of Goodison Park’s iconic Gwladys Street End on Sunday afternoon was a banner reading “Nil Satis Nisi Optimum“The Latin slogan, which translates to ‘Nothing but the best is good enough’, has been Everton’s club motto for almost a century. For the women’s team, the form suggests they have had struggling to enforce this principle this season.

But in Sunday’s 1-0 victory (stream a replay on ESPN+, US only) against rivals Liverpool, Brian Sorensen’s side admirably embodied the club’s mission statement, sealing their first win of the Women’s Super League (WSL) campaign and ensuring the history books will know ever since she won in the Merseyside women’s final. derby at Goodison Park, ahead of next season’s move to their newly built stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.

The fact that the victory was achieved thanks to a huge refereeing error is likely to disturb the Liverpool camp for some time. Katja SnoeijsThe first half penalty was coolly converted but should never have been awarded. Replays quickly showed the Liverpool midfielder’s fault Fuka Nagano on his Japanese teammate Honoka Hayashi took place a meter from the penalty area, but in the absence of VAR in the WSL, referee Abigail Byrne’s decision on the field stood.

The incident will no doubt fan the flames of debate in the coming days as the clamor for the introduction of VAR in the women’s elite continues to grow. For Liverpool, it is the third time in as many seasons that they have been stung by a refereeing error in a Merseyside derby.

At Goodison in March 2023, Liverpool defender Leighanne Robe controversially had her goal disallowed for an alleged foul on the Everton goalkeeper. Courtney Brosnan. Later that year at Anfield, Missy Bo KearnsThe opening game for the hosts was incorrectly ruled out for offside, leading Liverpool boss Matt Beard to declare he was “sick to death” of the WSL’s standard of refereeing.

Echoing that sentiment after Sunday’s game, Beard said: “It wasn’t a penalty. That’s it. It completely changes the complexion of the game. Even I saw that the contact was about one meter from the box. To be honest with you, it happens every week, not just with us. It cost us the game today.

Beard is far from the only manager to have voiced his grievances regarding refereeing standards in the WSL and the question of whether VAR should be introduced is one of the biggest dilemmas facing the Women’s Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL) – the body owned by the club. who took over management of the top two tiers of English women’s football from the Football Association in August.

There are a number of financial and logistical factors to consider, with some WSL stadiums currently not equipped to handle the infrastructure needed to accommodate the technology. ESPN reported last week that FIFA hoped to gain permission from the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to continue testing Football Video Support (FVS), an alternative VAR system that gives coaches the ability to challenge decisions . The FVS, which was used at this year’s FIFA U20 and U17 Women’s World Cups, is only intended for use in leagues with fewer resources.

The WSL could perhaps fall into this category. Everton boss Sorensen approved the introduction of such technology on Sunday afternoon – although there is an argument that failing to fully implement VAR would damage the league’s position as a first division.

For Everton, Sunday’s victory will surely be a worthy reward for all their efforts in the WSL this season. Winless in their opening seven league matches, Sorensen’s side have spent much of their tenure operating under a cloud of uncertainty amid the club’s myriad off-field problems.

Everton’s difficulties with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) have forced the women’s team to work within strict financial parameters, with the Friedkin Group’s imminent takeover of the 94% stake in Farhad Moshiri in the club – which still remains subject to approval by regulatory authorities –. perceived by some as the light at the end of a very long tunnel.

Having lost two players to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in the space of just eight days earlier in the season, and with several other staff members sidelined with more minor ailments, those of Everton would have every right to feel overdue a stain of good fortune.

“I’m really delighted, first of all for the girls because they really deserve it,” Sorensen said in his post-match press conference. “It was a challenge because we had to change something every week.

“We haven’t been able to run the same lineup two weeks in a row and I think it was the first week this week where we were able to have some consistency in practice and put our good plan together match.”

The Dane added: “We didn’t have our best performances here when we played against Liverpool. It was 1-1 or 0-0 so it was really good to get over the line and it “That’s the one we’ll look at.” I’ll come back with joy.”

Indeed, Sorensen will hope that victory against Liverpool will prove to be the spark that truly ignites Everton’s season. For Beard and his team, the flames of frustration are likely to continue to burn for the foreseeable future.