Everton finally managed to pick up their first win of the season at Goodison Park as set-piece goals in either half from Martina Fernandez earned them victory over Aston Villa.

After conceding an early goal they passed the ball about neatly and hit their opponents on the counter-attack whenever they had the opportunity.

They had gone behind when usually dependable defender Ruby Mace played a pass straight to Ebony Salmon, who beat a defender before sweeping her shot past Courtney Brosnan.

It took a set-piece for the hosts to restore parity, with Mace atoning for her earlier error by delivering a perfectly weighted corner for Fernandez to head in at the back post.

After the restart Villa seized control and subjected Everton to constant waves of attacks but they could not find a way through.

And Everton's late efforts paid dividends as Fernandez once again headed home a Mace cross at the back post, this time from a free-kick.

For Everton, who made the permanent switch to the former men's ground at the start of the season, the result ends a streak which had seen them lose six home games in a row.

Victory means they are now ninth on 11 points, four clear of the drop zone. Villa, are eighth, five points ahead of Everton.

Finally ending their dire home form will delight boss Brian Sorensen and the Everton supporters, even if the win came about in a smash-and-grab manner.

While they produced little that truly threatened from open play, despite registering the most shots, they were constantly dangerous from free-kicks and made Aston Villa pay for their inability to convert their chances.

Everton's best chance aside from set-pieces came when Ornella Vignola smashed an audacious effort from long-range off the crossbar, but for much of the rest of the game they found their opponents difficult to break down.

Sorensen will hope that fighting back to win will mark a shifting of momentum for his side, who have now picked up their third win of the campaign.

Villa, meanwhile, have experienced a recent change in momentum of their own - but in the wrong direction. They have now lost each of their past three matches, and five of their past seven.

They will feel they should have found a way to win at Goodison, especially given their excellent spell early in the second half, but failed to register a shot in the last half-hour of the match.

Both clubs are in action next Sunday (12:00 GMT), with Everton travelling to sixth-placed London City Lionesses and Aston Villa visiting bottom club Liverpool.

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