Everton defeated Liverpool 1-0 in a thrilling Women's Super League (WSL) game, making the Merseyside derby contentious because of a contested penalty. The crucial moment came when Liverpool's Fuka Nagano fouled Honoka Hayashi, resulting in Everton receiving a penalty. The referee awarded the spot-kick even though it looked to have taken place beyond the penalty box, and Katja Snoeijs converted it to score the game's lone goal. Many were upset by this decision, especially Matt Beard, the manager of Liverpool, who thought the umpires had failed his team.

Since replays appeared to prove the foul occurred just outside the box, the penalty issue has been a heated subject. Beard and many others thought the call was a game-changer because there was no Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to help with the decision-making. He noted that although all of the officials had an unhindered view of the incident, they were unable to make the right call, which he felt had a direct impact on how the game turned out.

Given that it was their first league victory of the year, Everton, who had suffered earlier in the season, hailed the victory as a huge morale boost. Liverpool's supporters and management felt even more unfairly treated as a result of the defeat and the contentious penalty. The match is now recognised for the discussion it generated about fairness and the impact of officiating errors in football, even though both sides were given time to consider the referee's call.

This event sparked a wider discussion about how crucial decisions might affect match results in addition to casting doubt on the accuracy of WSL officiating. The penalty dispute will probably continue to be a major topic of discussion for both supporters and analysts as both teams seek to move on.