Ornella Vignola: WSL Player Spotlight
Ornella Vignola is a twenty-year-old midfielder/winger for Everton FC Women.
A versatile attacking threat, she combines pace and direct running with a calm finishing touch. On her Barclays Women’s Super League debut for the Toffees, she announced herself with a historic Merseyside derby hat-trick. This instantly recognised her as a young player to watch this season.
Vignola has represented the Spanish national team at youth level and is now pushing for a breakthrough into the senior national team.
A debut to remember
Vignola became the first Everton player, man or woman, to score a hat-trick in the Merseyside derby since the legendary Dixie Dean in 1931.
In the 24th minute at Anfield, with Everton trailing 1-0, Vignola produced a curling equaliser into the far corner: a moment that flipped the momentum of the Merseyside derby and laid the foundation for her historic hat-trick. From this moment, the Toffees were back in the game.
Her three goals showcased different qualities: from a curling strike to instinctive finishes, underlining her technical skill and adaptability. To achieve this on debut, and at a historic venue like Anfield, highlights both her ability and her potential to be a defining player for Everton.
Vignola was ruthlessly efficient in front of goal, with all three shots hitting the back of the net. She registered four touches inside Liverpool's penalty area and completed two passes into the final third, showing her involvement in Everton's build-up play. The youngster also proved her physical edge, winning three of her four duels for 75% success rate in one-on-one battles.
After the match, Everton manager Brian Sørensen spoke highly of his hattrick hero:
"I expected her to score; that's why I started her. She was superb."
Looking ahead
Vignola's next test comes at home against Tottenham Hotspur Women. Spurs will travel to Goodison Park, where they hope to add another three points to their tally. Both Everton and Tottenham won in the opening weekend, so this will be a close match with physical and mental challenges for both sides.
Having already proven she can deliver in big moments with her historic Merseyside derby hat-trick, the pressure is on to continue this positive form. Whether she can maintain that clinical edge across the WSL season will be a talking point across the board.
Certainly, it will be interesting to see how she links up with the other Everton forwards: whether she continues to operate in a central scoring role, and how she adapts when opponents begin to mark her more tightly. Her ability to adjust against stronger defensive setups will go a long way in determining just how influential she can be this season.