Ornella Vignola wrote herself into Everton folklore with a stunning hat-trick on her debut for the club. Her player of the match performance guided the Toffees to a 4-1 victory as Brian Sørensen’s side made it six wins from six at Anfield.
It was an unforgettable afternoon for the young Spanish forward who arrived at Goodison Park this summer from Granada. With her three goals she became the first Everton player, men’s or women’s, to score a hat-trick against Liverpool since Dixie Dean in 1931.
“Maybe not three,” Sørensen said with a laugh when asked if he had been expecting that performance from his new recruit. “I expected her to score; that’s why I started her. She was superb … I said to her that this is the benchmark for what I want to see.”
It was a difficult afternoon for Liverpool and their manager, Gareth Taylor, who was taking charge of the side for the first time. They would have hoped a new face in the dugout could help to change their fortunes in this historic fixture,with a winless run now extended to eight games.
The weather reflected the mood on what turned out to be a miserable opening afternoon for the hosts. In torrential rain, Liverpool failed to capitalise on their first-half dominance against a team that added depth and quality over the summer.
