Everton show what is possible with FA Cup win as two new signings confirmed

If Everton were looking for an antidote to the January blues, last weekend's FA Cup victory over Aston Villa might just have provided it.

Ahead of Saturday's clash with Carla Ward's side, manager Brian Sorensen insisted his players were "full of confidence" in spite of their turbulent start to the season. Certainly, anyone who watched Everton's showing in the West Midlands would find it hard to argue with that particular assertion.

The Blues dominated the contest and were rewarded for their efforts in the 58th minute when Karoline Olesen's classy finish broke the deadlock at Bescot Stadium. A Katja Snoeijs double in the closing stages rubber-stamped what was, without doubt, Everton's most impressive victory of the season and secured their passage to the FA Cup fifth round.

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"Knock on wood that our spring is different to the fall," Sorensen said after the game. "Looking back at it, we had 10 starters out for more than two or three games and it was disrupted every week so we had no consistency. We were trying to build a plane while we were flying.

"We are now hopefully where we can get that consistency and we can keep people healthy. There's so much potential in this group. The starting line-up we had today is extremely young and they still outperformed a really good Villa team."

Indeed, Everton's enormous potential was clear for all to see on Saturday afternoon. As highlighted by their manager, the Women's Super League (WSL) winter break had allowed for the return of a number of absentees - including wing-back Lucy Hope and versatile defender Elise