On Wednesday evening, Aston Villa Women welcomed Everton to the Banks’ Stadium in an attempt to achieve a league double in consecutive matches.
It was just over two weeks ago that the clubs met in the reverse fixture, in which Villa took the win with an assured 0-2 result.
This week, it was the away side that came out victorious again as Villa’s multitude of chances was overshadowed by an 80th minute effort from the Toffees.
Villa stepped out on the front foot, with Emily Gielnik making a very early attempt at goal that was fired narrowly wide. An even bigger opportunity soon followed in the 13th minute, as Ramona Petzelberger broke into space at the edge of the box and forced Everton’s keeper into a good save.
Despite not being able to break the deadlock, Villa remained in control of the first half whilst Everton struggled both in and out of possession. The fullbacks, Mayling and Pacheco, were allowed creative freedom at times and both made promising runs forward. Alisha Lehmann also had a couple of half chances, but the team were level at the break.
The second half was more of the same for Villa, this time the biggest chance fell to Jill Scott. Villa’s tallest player found herself on the end of a perfect Maz Pacheco cross and headed the ball goalwards, frantically pounced on by MacIver in goal.
Everton finally found some confidence towards the middle of the second half. Pattinson and Bennison were driving the team forwards and looked to create problems for Villa. Asante and Scott were both caught out for the home side, but fortunately both instances went unpunished.
It wasn’t until the 80th minute that one team came out on top. Villa fell victim to a wonderful assist and finish, through no fault of Hampton in goal. Hanna Bennison provided the perfectly-weighted diagonal cross, but still required the composed touch and finish from Aurora Galli.
Galli’s first goal for Everton since her signing last summer was enough to get Everton over the line. They end their run of four defeats in a row, while Aston Villa remain in hope to fix their poor home form. The defeat feels undeserved, as a game of Villa chances was outweighed by one moment of brilliance from the opposition.
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#Hergame Too is a campaign set up to raise awareness for the sexism that is prevalent in football, as well as supporting, empowering, and creating opportunities for females involved in the game. The #HerGameToo team are made up of twelve football fans that represent an array of teams across the country, including some that work in the industry who have experienced some sexism in their everyday work. They actively encourage people to speak out about their experiences, whether it be to #HerGameToo, friends or family, or the football clubs involved. We must acknowledge that football has come a long way from the issues that existed historically, however there is still a long way to go.
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