Brighton & Hove Albion’s women’s first-team manager Hope Powell was proud of her team after recovering from two goals behind to draw 3-3 away at Everton in today’s FA Women’s Super League match.
Captain Danielle Buet’s third minute goal put Albion ahead, but the Toffees managed to breach the Albion defence three times before Ellie Brazil’s double secured a point on Merseyside.
She said, “I was really pleased, coming back from two goals down like we did today meant that we have come off the pitch feeling like we have won the game.
“Another positive is that we’ve got some goals under our belt for the first time in the league this season, but even though we scored three, I’m disappointed we’ve conceded three, so we’ll have to look back at that in our analysis.
“I’m proud of how the team got back into the match. We showed great team spirit and attitude to prove that we’re not beaten until the match is over, so full credit to the girls for that.”
Everton took the lead seconds before half-time to take a 2-1 advantage into the break, and Powell described how she approached her half-time team talk.
“You’re always a little bit concerned that their heads might drop, especially conceding a goal just before the break. I thought we played okay, especially in the first 20 minutes.
“Then we conceded the two goals and it may have been a case the girls were thinking ‘here we go again’, so the conversation was about believing that we could get back into it and to be spirited in their efforts. The substitutions and fresh legs helped.
“We were positive and we thought if we can get one back then we would be able to get another goal, which we did.“
Powell also showed admiration for Buet’s goal, before talking about the challenge ahead when Manchester City visit the Broadfield Stadium next week.
“We tried to get on the front foot and try to get the early goal. I wanted the players to have a go at goal and, if they thought they were in the right position, to have a shot, which is perhaps something we haven’t done enough. It was a fantastic strike from Dani [Buet], a great goal.”
“We’re under no illusions that everybody expects Manchester City to win the game, but it’s not a foregone conclusion.
“We have to be resilient and organised because we know they’ll have more of the ball than we will, so we need to set up to be hard to beat.”
Tickets are on sale for Albion's next FA Women's Super League match against Manchester City on Sunday, 21 October. Prices start from £7 for adults and £3 for under 10s when booked in advance. Visit seagullstickets.com for full details.