Newcastle United Women went into their final League Cup match having already been mathematically eliminated from the competition.
As did Everton, which meant it was something of a ‘Dead Rubber’, but a chance for a second-tier side to measure themselves against a WSL side they might yet face in the promotion/relegation play-off in May.
During the week United had announced a permanent replacement for Becky Langley as current Northern Ireland manager Tanya Oxtoby was appointed. The former Australian international defender has previous managerial experience at Nottingham Forest and Bristol City, and also served as Emma Hayes’ assistant at Chelsea before taking the Northern Ireland job.
With that announcement, it would prove to be interim manager Claire Ditchburn’s last game in charge, having recorded a near-perfect seven points from nine from the three league games featured in this fixture.
She made seven changes from the side that beat Sunderland last weekend, with a recall for Claudia Moan in goal and Lia Cataldo in defence, while Jemma Purfield made her first start in a black and white shirt after recovering from injury.
Match report
A dull opening half at Gateshead International Stadium ensured neither side came close to opening the deadlock. The closest either side came came in the 15th minute when Everton’s Yuka Momiki, one of four Japan internationals in their line-up, sent in a dangerous cross that was almost converted into her own net by Jemma Purfield.
The Toffees came close again just before the half-hour mark when Toni Payne tried her luck with a volley from 25 yards out. Her venomous effort tested Claudia Moan in the United goal, who was able to maintain her powerful strike.
The visitors would get the breakthrough moments later thanks to a questionable free kick. Momiki curled her attempt perfectly from twenty meters away. Hitting the ball over the wall before it lands just inside the post, giving Moan no chance to stop the ball.
Everton started the second half brightly and were it not for Moan’s spreading save to deny Payne six minutes later, the Lasses could have been further behind. Shortly afterwards, Ornella Vignola came close to doubling Brian Sorensen’s side when her strike whistled past the post after great work from Hayashi saw her dispossess Jas McQuade in a promising position.
But Newcastle began to find their feet and were level again almost on the hour mark after an excellent cross from Freya Gregory saw her pick out Emily Murphy. Last weekend’s derby hero controlled before sliding in the overlapping Jordan Nobbs, who almost saw her attempt saved by Everton’s goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan.
Claire Ditchburn is in charge for the last game
Everton responded and did everything they could to increase their lead. A cross on the right wing that evaded everyone went towards goal, before Newcastle right-back Lia Cataldo cleared the line. Before Moan was forced to make another impressive save, she tipped Payne’s header onto the crossbar from point-blank range after half-time. Substitute Katja Snoeijs did an excellent job of heading the ball back across the goal to pick out her teammate.
But the game ultimately got away from Newcastle with two goals in quick succession. A simple cross from the right from Payne found Snoeijs, who had the easy task of making it 2-0 into an empty net. Less than a minute later, Payne dispossessed Moan in the box to make it three.
The Lasses got one back a few minutes later when Beth Lumsden forced an inswinging corner from Nobbs at the near post for her first goal of the season.
Aoife Mannion was perhaps lucky to still be on the field when she lunged at Snoeijs in the final ten minutes. She escaped with a yellow card while her Dutch international opponent had to be sent off with an injury.
The final word went to Newcastle United Women, where they introduced one of their under-21 players, Amelia Freeman, for what was her first-team debut.
Newcastle United Women: Claudia Moan, Jordan Nobbs, Jemma Purfield (Demi Stokes 75), Shania Hayles (Oona Sevenius 5), Freya Gregory (Molly Pike 75), Deanna Cooper (c) (Aoife Mannion 46), Malgorzata Grec, Jasmine McQuade, Beth Lumsden (Amelia Freeman 90+4), Emily Murphy, Lia Cataldo
Subs not used: Anna Tamminen, Hannah Hawkins, Charlotte Wardlaw, Abbie Richardson.
Everton: Court Brosnan, Rion Ishikawa (Karen Holmgarard 77), Ruby Mace, Martina Fernandez (Kenzie Weir 77), Hikaru Kitagawa, Yuka Momiki, Ornella Vignola (Rosa Van Goal 77), Honoka Hayashi, Clare Wheerer, Toni Payne, Kelly Gago (Katja Snoeijs 46, Ellie Jones 83).
Subs not used: Emily Ramsey, Hayley Ladd, Katie Robinson.
Where that leaves NUFC
That defeat means Newcastle’s interest in the League Cup is over for another year. The five group winners, together with the three teams involved in the Champions League (Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United), will form the draw for the quarter-finals.
While the competition offers the opportunity to give squad players some important minutes, there is a feeling that now that the extra games and subsequent distractions are out of the way, the Lasses can concentrate on the task at hand, which is promotion.
With only the top two positions good enough for automatic promotion and United some six points behind, they have some work to do. In third place, the club would play the lowest placed side of WSL 1 for a chance at promotion. Right now that would be West Ham or Liverpool, with the former having improved their form of late.
What’s coming
Another international break means a free weekend for the Lasses before the final matches of 2025. They will be in action for the first time on Monday 8 December when they take on a talented Southampton side at the GIS. The match was postponed a day due to a Gateshead men’s match.
Another cup competition starts the following weekend. Newcastle will host Liverpool Feds, a side that took them to promotion from Tier 4 in 2022 and are currently below the Lasses in the league.
The opening half of the season concludes with an away match against Portsmouth on the Sunday before Christmas.
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