Tottenham spoiled Everton's first match at Goodison Park since it became their permanent home by comprehensively beating them with the help of a stunning debut goal for Cathinka Tandberg.

The Toffees had hoped to begin the start of a new era at the iconic stadium, allocated to them following the men's relocation to the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Liverpool's waterfront.

But, on a miserable and windy day on Merseyside, Brian Sorensen's side struggled to get going and were unable to mark the historic occasion with a win.

Tottenham's constant pressure paid off when Olga Ahtinen scored in the 27th minute, nipping the ball away from Rion Ishikawa and playing a one-two with Tandberg before slotting past Courtney Brosnan.

Tandberg then stunned the 6,473-strong crowd on 49 minutes when she spotted Brosnan off her line, lobbing her from 40-yards out with a sweet strike that nestled in the bottom corner.

Everton improved in the second half but had already given themselves a huge hurdle to overcome and ultimately failed to conjure a single shot on target.

Goodison Park is the biggest dedicated women's stadium in the country but many areas have been covered with branding for the women's team. Everton are keen to make the stadium more intimate having taken on a ground with a previous capacity of 39,572.

Talk prior to the match centred on this being a historic occasion for Everton women - the beginning of a new era with Goodison Park as their permanent home.

The words 'Goodison Park - The home of Everton Women' adorn the Bullens Road Stand, the walls of the corridors and the flags that line the streets surrounding this iconic sporting venue.

The flow of fans through the ground has been altered, with the fan park open throughout the match, and the club will trial allowing alcohol in the stands after securing a licence.

Tickets for the Leasowe Pacific Lounge - Goodison's hospitality lounge - sold out with a bottomless brunch experience on offer including all-day food and dessert stations accompanied by unlimited drinks.

Many of the 39,572 seats inside Goodison have been removed with season ticket holders for the men's team afforded the opportunity to buy their seat.

New seats have replaced those in areas occupied by supporters of women's matches. But the Main Stand's top balcony, the Upper Bullens Road Stand and the upper tier of the Howard Kendall Gwladys Street End are instead covered in Everton's women's team branding.

New flags with the faces of the women's team drape across the Gwladys Street End while some traditions remain the same, one being the familiar sound of 'Z-Cars' still played before kick-off.

It is hoped that this new era will coincide with significant improvements on the pitch with nine new players coming in over the summer.

Sorensen's program notes discussed the Grand Old Lady holding "a bright future" for his side but, in truth, Everton struggled to get going in the first match at their new home.

Undoubtedly they would have liked to produce a glittering performance to set their tenancy off on the right foot.

But they were ultimately flat and did not give the expectant crowd much to cheer.

Katja Snoeijs saw her effort blocked at the end of the first half before Ruby Mace's heavily deflected effort was parried away by Lize Kop.

While it may take time for Everton to adjust to their new surroundings, a loss in their opening match here will not do much to aid that process.

"The club has done a magnificent job. It looks like our home and looks good so I'm happy for women's football in this part of England that we have a platform here." Sorensen said.

"We want to do better, I don't know if it was the occasion. I told the girls not to think about the emotions of that. I really hope the fans come back and we'll do everything we can to do better as a team."

Last week, Tottenham scraped a 1-0 win over West Ham without producing a single shot on target.

But in their second match under new manager Martin Ho - who spent three year's as an assistant coach with Everton's women's team - they were aggressive and pressed high, dominating the midfield and recording 19 shots with eight on target.

Summer signing Tandberg stood out, teeing up Ahtinen for the opener before netting her own superb goal and generally causing the hosts problems throughout.

Spurs were better in every department and had further chances with Drew Spence's powerful first-time effort pushed away by Brosnan and Eveliina Summanen going close.

Defensively they looked solid too and prevented the Toffees getting a shot on target, remaining organised when as tried to be more aggressive in the second half.