LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 04: Ruby Mace of Everton celebrates scoring her team’s first goal during the Barclays Women’s Super League 2026/27 match between Everton and Birmingham City at Goodison Park on October 04, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jess Hornby – WSL/WSL Football via Getty Images) | WSL Football via Getty Images
Ruby Mace’s first and second goals for Everton Women were enough to send the Blues into the top half of the table ahead of the international break.
The midfielder’s cool finish on 12 minutes gave the Toffees the lead but Birmingham City hit back three minutes later through in-form striker Oceane Hurtre as honours remained even in the first 45.
But Mace would have the final say 18 minutes from time when her deflected effort from the edge of the box beat Sophie Baggaley to ensure Everton claimed their second victory over Amy Merricks’ side in 11 days.
After acknowledging the youthful look of his side in last week’s defeat to Liverpool at Anfield Scott Phelan made three changes to his starting XI, with the experienced trio of Yuka Momiki, Honoka Hayashi and Maz Pacheco all returning.
And it was Hayashi who had the game’s first chance when she got on the end of a dangerous Hannah Blundell cross, but her tame effort that was easily collected by the visitor’s goalkeeper.
Mace gave Baggaley no chance on 12 minutes though as she became the first Everton player to score a goal in the WSL this season. Momiki’s effort rebounded off the post and caused confusion in the Birmingham area, with Mace on hand to curl her side-footed effort into the top corner.
The lead would last barely three minutes as Hurtre equalised for the Merricks’ side with a fine finish in the bottom right corner of Courtney Brosnan’s net.
Phelan was then forced into an early change when and injured Zara Kramzar was replaced by Holly McNamara on the half-hour mark, as both sides became more cagey with the game level, Birmingham looking the happier of the two teams with the scoreline.
The visitors were the livelier as the second half began, with Neve Herron poking an effort wide in the 54th minute from close range and Lily Crosthwaite also going close just after the hour mark as she curled a strike wide of the post.
Rion Ishikawa and Hannah Cain entered the fray in place of Hannah Silcock and Rosa van Gool as the hosts slowly began to get a foothold into a game that had looked to be slipping away from them.
And a sustained period of pressure was duly rewarded when Ornella Vignola found the oncoming Mace, who tried her look again from the edge of the area and saw her deflected effort nestle in the left corner of the net to double her tally and send the home fans into raptures.
Clare Wheeler and Hikaru Hitagawa would also see some minutes as the game drew to a close, although the Blues continued to press and McNamara thought she had her first Everton goal when she had the ball in the back of the net in injury time.
The Australian’s joy was short lived, however, as the linesman’s flag ruled out the effort.
In the end it wouldn’t matter as the Toffees saw out a fourth consecutive win on home soil to ease into the top half of the WSL.
With an international break now upon us, Phelan’s next test will be in two weeks time when his side travel to the capital to face the league’s early surprise package, London City Lionesses, who today hit Tottenham Hotspur for six to climb to third, with only Chelsea and current champions Manchester City ahead of them.