'Something big' - Everton stars make vow ahead of Merseyside derby vs Liverpool

As the clock ticked down at Walton Hall Park, Aurora Galli and Martina Piemonte combined to deliver a goal that was more than a decade in the making.

Everton, who had not registered a home win all season, were being held by West Ham United, with hopes of either side finding a winner starting to dwindle with every passing second. That was until Galli’s inch-perfect free-kick was deftly turned home by Piemonte, who had only been introduced from the bench some 10 minutes earlier.

The duo have only been Everton teammates since last summer but their friendship dates back to their days in Italy’s youth ranks. And their affinity off the pitch paid dividends for a second time against the Hammers when Piemonte turned provider for her countrywoman, who rifled the ball past Mackenzie Arnold to seal a priceless three points for Brian Sorensen’s side.

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“For me our relationship off the pitch definitely helps on the pitch,” Galli - affectionately known to her teammates as ‘Yaya’ - tells Women’s Football News. “We can speak together more, obviously, because we speak the same language. But even with our other teammates, we like to go out together and get a coffee and get to know each other even better because that helps on the pitch.

“When you see someone who is down in a training session or something like that, you know how to speak with them and that's so important in a team because you need someone looking out for you. In this team there are so many people who care for each other.”

It is that sense of togetherness that has