City have the Conti Cup final with Arsenal to look forward to on Saturday and face Liverpool Women in the FA Women’s Cup quarter-final next month.
Returning to league action, the Blues need three points against the struggling Toffees to stay top of the table – especially with Arsenal hosting bottom side Yeovil in one of tonight’s other fixtures.
READ: Free Conti Cup final coach travel!
City dropped two points against Chelsea last weekend and can ill-afford anymore slips in the games that remain – something Houghton is determined not to happen.
“As you can imagine, there’s a real buzz in the air this week with the Conti Cup final on Saturday and men’s Carabao Cup Final on Sunday,” said the skipper.
“For both teams, it’s a great chance to win back a trophy, which means so much to us – but first we have to focus on the task at hand.
“We enjoyed a great win at Everton earlier in the season but as I’ve said before, that doesn’t mean we will automatically get three points in this fixture.
“As we’ve learned, you have to put the work in until the last second and we’re all determined to do so.
“We’re motivated and high in confidence because we’ve been playing very well – scoring a lot of goals and defending solidly overall.
“We set such a high standard for our ourselves and we must maintain that focus.”
Looking ahead to Saturday’s Conti Cup final at Bramall Lane this Saturday, Houghton said: “The location of the last final was not the best for our fans, but in Sheffield, it’s easier for them to get to.
“Our supporters have been unbelievable. In the semi-final against Chelsea, you could really hear them on the side, cheering us on.
“Hopefully, we’ll have more of the same and more people can make it to Sheffield.”
