Sunday saw Aston Villa welcome Leicester City to Villa Park in front of around 6,500 fans in celebration of Women’s Football Weekend. Fans old and new were treated to another impressive performance, even with Ward’s side missing a number of key players.
Emily Gielnik and Ruesha Littlejohn were both confirmed to be unavailable by the club earlier in the week, but it was a concern to see regular starters Sarah Mayling and Rachel Corsie were also missing from the matchday squad. Naturally, Anna Patten stepped into central defence and Evie Rabjohn made her full senior debut playing at right-back.
The opening moments of the game indicated that this could be a competitive match, with both teams keen to make a positive start. The first chance fell to Rachel Daly, set up by Kirsty Hanson, but the angle meant her shot hit the side netting. Leicester responded quickly and Hannah Hampton was forced into an early save, stopping Sam Tierney’s shot from very close range. Villa had another scare when Aileen Whelan had the ball in the net following a chaotic scramble in the box, but fortunately it was ruled out for offside.
Despite Leicester’s best efforts, it was Villa that opened the scoring after 6 minutes. The ball was being won back by both sides, but Villa held onto it after Lucy Staniforth headed a Leicester clearance back into the midfield. Daly played the ball into Kenza Dali, who found some empty space to take on a shot from outside the box. She fired past Janina Leitzig and gave Villa the early lead.
The atmosphere was slightly nervous until Alisha Lehmann doubled our lead in the 35th minute. Villa broke away at pace, starting with Maz Pacheco finding Dali in the middle of the pitch. She handed over to Hanson on the left wing, who took a touch before sending in the cross for Lehmann to run into.
The opposition were not deterred by conceding and started pressing high up the pitch. Carrie Jones, Hannah Cain, and Ashleigh Plumptre each had an effort on goal for Leicester but Villa were able to make blocks and Hampton made another vital save.
Villa added a third through Rachel Daly moments before half time. The striker was alert to catch Sophie Howard in possession, jumping on a loose touch to put herself one on one with the goalkeeper and finishing coolly into the far corner.
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The hosts did not plan on stopping after the break and only took 10 minutes before making it four. Alisha Lehmann broke quickly down the right and executed a perfectly weighted cross to escape two defenders and allow Daly to finish her second of the afternoon. Daly has now taken her tally to 13 league goals this season, with only Manchester City’s Bunny Shaw ahead of her on 15.
Carla Ward made a double change at this point, swapping Lucy Staniforth and Kirsty Hanson for Laura Blindkilde and Freya Gregory. Both players brought energy to the pitch, Blindkilde through the middle and Gregory from the left wing. Not long after their introduction, Villa scored their fifth and final goal of the day. The scoreline allowed left-back Maz Pacheco to run high up the pitch, overlapping with Daly and setting up Lehmann for the close range finish to secure her brace.
Georgia Mullett and Alice Keitley entered the game at 85 and 90 minutes respectively, replacing Dali and Lehmann. Mullett looked particularly lively and pressed a tired Leicester City, as well as having a header saved in the closing moments of the game.
Aston Villa continue a record breaking run of form, today’s win extending it to four consecutive WSL wins for the first time. A special mention must go to Evie Rabjohn, the 17 year old who filled in excellently for the injured Mayling at right-back, along with all of the goalscorers and Hannah Hampton for some important saves and outstanding distribution.
Next up is the first of two home games against Chelsea, the first being in the league and the second being the FA Cup semi-final.
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AUTHOR | GEORGIA HOMER
Author’s UTV PODCAST archive Georgia Homer
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