After a short international break, Aston Villa returned to league action with an explosive afternoon at the Bescot Stadium. The Villans welcomed West Ham United to the West Midlands with the hope of continuing their winning run.Β
Anna Leat kept her place in goal after the heroics of the Conti Cup penalty shootout win over Manchester United. Otherwise, the side remained unchanged from the team that beat Leicester. It looks like Carla Ward has found her preferred formula.
Before Villa could settle into the opening half, an early West Ham corner put the visitors ahead. Kirsty Smithβs ball was met by Dagny Brynjarsdottir from close range to take the lead.
Villa looked to respond immediately, winning a set piece of their own. The free-kick was almost successful, mirroring Dalyβs goal against Manchester United, but unfortunately this time her header was wide of the target.
In the fourteenth minute, despite Villa being on the front foot, West Ham doubled their lead. KyvΓ₯g worked down the left wing and crossed the ball into the middle of the pitch; it didnβt quite land for Asseyi but Hayashi was well-positioned to finish it off. Anna Leat made herself big at the near post, but the ball was sent through her legs to put West Ham up 0-2.
Unreflected in the score line, Villa kept the ball well and most of the action was in the oppositionβs half. Fouls started to creep in and things got particularly heated when West Ham goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold refused to hand over the ball for a Villa free-kick. This caused an incident between herself and Rachel Daly, with Daly pushed to the floor and Arnold picking up a booking. The keeper then found herself booed for the rest of the afternoon.Β
Defender and Arsenal-loanee Anna Patten had a couple of decent chances before the whistle, but we went into half-time at 0-2.
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The second half was much more of the same – Villa controlling the game but unable to convert their chances. In the 72nd minute, Rachel Daly was fouled in the penalty area and won a spot-kick. After Dalyβs miss in the shootout against United, Alisha Lehmann stepped up instead. Although she got some lift on the shot, Arnold saved Lehmannβs kick and kept West Hamβs lead at two. This caused some disagreement off the pitch, and Carla Ward later expressed her annoyance that Daly had not taken the penalty herself.
In the 77th minute, Villa was finally rewarded with a goal back through the curled effort of Kenza Dali. It was a cross into the box from the right-hand side and a few passes between attackers to find Dali in the middle of the goal. Assisted by Rachel Daly, Dali hit the ball into the top right corner.Β
Villa were very much in the game and the goal gave belief that points were within reach. Every single player was pushed high up the pitch, so when Sarah Mayling was dispossessed by Hawa Cissoko, she fouled the defender to stop a counter-attack. The altercation did not end there, and a couple of pushes turned into a punch by the West Ham player. Cissoko was given a straight red, and Mayling was perhaps fortunate to only pick up a yellow. The drama continued on the touchline as the coaches and substitutes got involved, which ended with West Hamβs manager Paul Konchesky also seeing red.Β
The game played out 12 minutes of additional time, but Villa was unable to find the equalizer. It was a determined display, but ultimately West Ham made the most of their fewer chances. It is the first points dropped this season and there was a lot to be proud of, but we have to ensure that last seasonβs problems in front of the goal do not come back to haunt us.
AUTHOR | GEORGIA HOMER
Authorβs UTV PODCAST archiveΒ Georgia Homer
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