Aston Villa kicked off their WSL campaign with a home fixture against Manchester City. A large crowd of both familiar faces and new fans travelled to Villa Park to watch a number of Lionesses take to the stage.
Carla Wardβs marquee signing Rachel Daly started at centre-forward, supported by Manchester United loanee Kirsty Hanson. Kenza Dali and Dan Turner also made their Villa debuts, while Rachel Corsie captained the side in Remi Allenβs absence.
Manchester City also looked a different outfit, following the retirements of Ellen White and Jill Scott, as well as the outgoing transfers of Lucy Bronze, Georgia Stanway, Caroline Weir, and most notably Keira Walsh.
Both teams were finding their feet in the early moments, with a few unconvincing chances for the away side. But it was Villa that scored first, thanks to a challenge by Daly to win the ball back high and set up Alisha Lehmann. The shot was taken calmly and Lehmann slotted home our first goal of the season – and first ever against this opposition since promotion.
The game continued in an end-to-end fashion and ten minutes later, Villa struck again. In the 32nd minute, Rachel Daly doubled the lead with an unexpectedly magical strike after the ball was knocked into her path after a corner. A wonderfully placed, curled effort that was simply out of reach for keeper Ellie Roebuck.
Frustratingly, City were able to claw one back at the end of the half, so the mood at the break was slightly tainted. Bunny Shaw and Laura Coombs were able to zigzag through the defence and Coombsβ shot was almost saved by Hannah Hampton, but the attempt to push the ball up and over the crossbar was not strong enough.
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The second half opened quickly, with Manchester City hoping to right their earlier wrongs. At 52 minutes they equalised, and at 55 minutes they took the lead. A header from Bunny Shaw and a second for Laura Coombs was a shocking blow to a Villa team that had worked so hard against a Champions League side.
Instead of dwelling on the goals, Villa responded immediately. Our new attacking midfielder, Kenza Dali, was alert and ready to pounce on a poor pass from captain Steph Houghton and got lucky with a slight deflection. Nonetheless, it was an impressive effort from outside the box. At the hour mark, the teams were level at 3-3.
The final goal of the thriller was the scruffiest of the afternoon, as both teams became more frantic. With 15 minutes remaining, Dali was in amongst the action again as she eased past Houghton to set up Kirsty Hanson. Hanson was working from a tight angle and only managed to hit straight at Roebuck, but the saved shot fell to new hero Rachel Daly who knocked it home.
Ward introduced Emily Gienik and Freya Gregory as late substitutes who injected some energy back into a tiring Villa side. Gielnik pressed effectively but unfortunately her one big chance lacked power.
Injury scares to Bunny Shaw, Maz Pacheco, and Hannah Hampton, on top of the flurry of goals, meant that there was 7 minutes of additional time. City won a very late free kick and an even later corner, which were nervously watched at Villa Park.
Wardβs final substitution, Olivia McLoughlin for Rachel Daly, saw a standing ovation for the European Champion and used up a few more important seconds. The game ended and Villa celebrated a historic 4-3 victory over Manchester City. After previous defeats, this result is a mark of immense progress and bravery.
AUTHOR | GEORGIA HOMER
Authorβs UTV PODCAST archiveΒ Georgia Homer
Thumbnail Media Credit: avfc.co.uk
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One Response
Great report Georgia!
I am hoping to get to see our ladies when they play Brighton as I live on the South Coast. So your summary of the game is brilliant for people like me who love to follow the lionesses.
So keep up the good work and I look forward to your next post….
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