Aston Villa’s final home game of the season was held at Villa Park, as the team faced Liverpool. Carla Ward and her players were welcomed by over 7500 fans to celebrate our highest ever WSL finish.
Ward’s selection was as expected, with Jordan Nobbs returning to the starting line up in place of Laura Blindkilde. Ruesha Littlejohn was missing from an otherwise healthy bench; Remi Allen, Simone Magill, Rachel Corsie, and Chaney Boye-Hlorkah all available.
Villa took control of the game from the first whistle and it wasn’t long before the deadlock was broken. Lucy Staniforth found Rachel Daly with a ball into the box, but the striker was crowded out by Liverpool defenders when she tried to turn towards goal. Kirsty Hanson was alert to pounce on the attempted clearance and take the ball out wide, away from the danger, before shooting back across goal into the far right corner. Villa were up 1-0 in the 7th minute.
Liverpool looked to respond and Hannah Hampton was called into action just 10 minutes later. Villa’s keeper emerged quickly to clear the oncoming attack but directed the ball into the path of Missy Bo Kearns, who saw the opportunity of Hampton off her line. Kearns shot from 35 yards saw Hampton sprinting back towards goal and, somehow, clawing back the ball marginally before hitting the back of the net.
At around the half hour mark, Villa were forced into an early change. After going down for the second time, Jordan Nobbs left the field and was replaced by Simone Magill. Nobbs looked to be holding her left calf but was able to walk off the pitch, so hopefully it was a precautionary switch.
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Things changed very quickly between the 37th and 40th minute. Liverpool scored two goals in succession, starting with Katie Stengel. Maz Pacheco headed away Emma Koivisto’s cross, but only as far as Taylor Hinds. Hinds hit the ball downwards towards goal and Stengel was there to glance on from close range.
Liverpool, fired up from their equaliser, turned the game on its head through Natasha Dowie. The visitors broke quickly and Koivisto’s cross caused issues in Villa’s box again, with Lucy Staniforth falling awkwardly on top of the ball. It fell to Dowie who lashed the ball high into the net over Hampton and Liverpool took the lead.
The players were visibly frustrated with how easily the lead seemed to disappear, but not for long. Moments before half-time, substitute Simone Magill took matters into her own hands and drove down the right wing, playing a one-two with Rachel Daly before cutting back to link up with the striker once again and Daly was able to score past Faye Kirby in goal. After such a lengthy delay to Magill’s Villa career due to the ACL injury picked up on international duty, it was brilliant for fans to catch a teaser of what she has to offer. A goal created by Magill that puts Rachel Daly even further ahead in the race for the golden boot, on 21 league goals.
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Following the break, Liverpool made three substitutions to freshen up their attack. The effect was significant, and the next goal came through one of Shanice van de Sanden’s crosses from the right wing. Van de Sanden’s strength and speed were difficult to suppress and the winger was able to deliver a powerful ball in for Stengel to redirect home, and Liverpool were back ahead.
A series of Villa corners came agonisingly close to levelling the scores, but it was a moment of individual determination that brought Villa back into the game. In the 70th minute, Kirsty Hanson ran past a number of players down the left wing before cutting inside and taking on the shot herself from the edge of the box. Hanson fired through the raised arms of Kirby, securing her brace on what could be her final home game for Aston Villa. The Manchester United loanee has been nominated for Player of the Season and today’s performance showed exactly why.
Although Villa were unable to get the win, it was an entertaining and competitive afternoon that saw the team confirm 5th place in the league. Remi Allen played a full second half after her 30 minutes last week, following a year on the sidelines. Recent news that the skipper will be released at the end of the season made it a bitter-sweet moment, but it was brilliant to see her back to her fierce self in midfield.
Villa will travel to Arsenal next weekend, where this season to remember will come to an end.
AUTHOR | GEORGIA HOMER
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Author’s UTV PODCAST archive Georgia Homer
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