The Toffees completed a hard-fought 2-1 win over a determined Fulham side and Hackney was impressed with both his team's work ethic and the visitors defence.

"It was a well earned win, we worked hard and to give Fulham credit they defended in numbers and made it difficult for us," he said.

"We went in 0-0 at half-time and I told the girls to be patient and attack down the flanks because the Fulham players were getting behind the ball and it was like running into a brick wall.

"We had to attack them and get in behind them and both goals were a result of a combination down the flanks."

Indeed the home side enjoyed most of the possession but it took them until the 67th minute to open the scoring in what was a purple patch that heralded all three goals in a matter of minutes.

Firstly England Under-19 left-back Michelle Evans opened the scoring for Everton before they were rocked by a superb Cottagers equaliser.

There looked to be no danger as Marie O'Brien took possession 20-yards out but she thought differently and fired home a superb shot.

However the visiting celebrations didn't last long as Leanne Duffy grabbed the Toffees winner after England goalkeeper Leanne Hall had spilled the ball.

The Everton coach believed his side deserved the win for their second half performance but acknowledged that Fulham made his team work hard.

"It has been a good result all round, our work rate was superb, everyone played their part and we deserved the win," Hackney continued.

"We had most of the possession in the first half but only had two shots on target. In the second we were camped in their half and really piled on the pressure.

"We've got to give them credit that they kept on battling and weren't to afraid to get behind the ball, they were quite a resilient team to break down."

Meanwhile Hackney added that the game would be his last at Everton as he is stepping down due to personal reasons, but was happy that he leaves the team in pole position in the league.

"It was a tremendous win and it puts the team in top spot for 2004 which they thoroughly deserve because they're such a hard-working bunch," he said.

"They can't relax of course because they've got to keep their fitness levels up but they can now enjoy their holiday."

Fulham manager Marieanne Spacey was disappointed with the result but was happy with her team's performance against the new league leaders.

Spacey also hailed O'Brien's equalising goal for the Cottagers as a "fantastic effort" and believed the pitch stopped her team from showing their true qualities.

"I think we made them work hard to get back in that position and it was a disappointment to not come away with a point," Spacey said.

"They were not the best quality strikes they scored with, whereas ours was a fantastic effort and was enough to win any game.

"It was all about team effectiveness really because the pitch wasn't very good and wouldn't let us play good football. But apart from the two goals we limited them to shots from outside the box."

However Spacey was delighted with the debut performance of Laura Husselbee, who has signed from league rivals Birmingham City, and believes she will be great addition to the squad.

"She's just short of match fitness really but gave us some poise and showed she is a real football player. She will be invaluable to help the younger players in the squad," she added.