When it rains it pours.

That's certainly how it feels for Everton Women at present. After back-to-back defeats against Manchester United and Chelsea, it felt like Sunday's clash with newly-promoted Bristol City represented a golden opportunity for the Blues to get back to winning ways.

And it initially looked like Brian Sorensen's side were on course to do just that. Everton flew out of the traps at Walton Hall Park, with summer signing Martina Piemonte notching her first goal for the club inside five minutes. The Italian could have made it a quickfire double when she beat Robins goalkeeper Olivia Clark to a loose back-pass, with only some last-ditch defending keeping the visitors in the game.

The chances kept on coming for the Blues, who could - and probably should - have been out of sight before the interval. But, as Sorensen's side have discovered on a number of occasions this term, the lack of a clinical edge in front of goal can prove costly.

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Former Liverpool midfielder Amy Rodgers made Everton pay with an emphatic finish on the stroke half-time, setting up a tense second act on Merseyside. That tension eased slightly when Megan Finnigan's classy volley restored the hosts' advantage after 57 minutes but the Blues' inability to kill the game off came back to haunt them when another LFC alum, Amalie Thestrup, equalised for Bristol City eight minutes from time.

It was a point gained for Everton but, after taking the lead twice, it very much felt like two dropped. Injuries, summer departures and contentious officiating have so far offered some mitigation for the Blues' disappointing start to the season.

But there is no getting around the fact they have to be winning games like the one on Sunday - at home to a newly-promoted side - if they are to avoid being dragged into a relegation dogfight.

“It’s very frustrating,” Sorensen said after the game. “I think both goals were avoidable. It’s just about managing it better. We had enough chances to score more but right now I’m just a bit irritated and frustrated with the way they got in, and that we were not clinical enough to hurt them."

The result leaves Everton in a precarious position in the Women's Super League (WSL) table, just one point and two places above the drop zone. And the Blues were dealt another huge blow just hours after the final whistle on Sunday as winger Nicoline Sorensen announced her intention to retire from football at the end of the calendar year.

The 26-year-old shared the news in a candid statement on social media, expressing her desire to pursue other interests away from the pitch. It is, in many ways, refreshing to see a footballer take such a bold step to prioritise their own welfare.

But, from Everton's perspective, it is yet another obstacle for the squad to navigate this term. Sorensen, a Denmark international, is one of the Blues' most experienced players and her exit will leave a void the club must now seek to fill in the January transfer window. Before then however, Everton have a hugely important run of games in the WSL and the need to get some points on the board is growing more pressing by the week.