Sunday 12th December saw the return of Aston Villa Women to league action after a period of international and cup fixtures.
The Villans welcomed a competitive Spurs side to Banks’ Stadium to mark the official Rainbow Laces fixture, fighting homophobia in football and the wider community.
It was an important game for both sides as Tottenham had the opportunity to reach third in the table, behind Arsenal and Chelsea, and Villa looked to get back on track following a recent dip in league form.
Carla Ward made two changes from the XI that beat Sunderland in the Conti Cup last weekend. The side welcomed the return of Emily Gielnik up front, pushing Alisha Lehmann onto the wing with Boye-Hlorkah. The back four picked themselves as usual, with Allen, Arthur and Littlejohn starting in midfield. Ramona Petzelberger missed out on a squad place entirely, with fans speculating she may have picked up a knock.
The match opened on equal footing with both teams pushing for the opener. Jessica Naz had an early opportunity for the visitors but her touch sent the ball wide of the target. Villa responded well with several attempts from striker Emily Gielnik, first from a counter-attack and soon after through some clever team play between Pacheco, Lehmann, and Gielnik.
In association with #HerGameToo
Things continued in an end-to-end manner until Remi Allen broke the deadlock after 18 minutes. Lehmann worked hard down the left and delivered a low cross into the skipper, who managed to lift the ball neatly over Tinja-Riikka Korpela in the Spurs net. That brings Allen’s tally to three league goals this season.
The goal did little to unsettle the opposition as Tottenham looked to retaliate quickly. Ria Percival began causing trouble at the other end of the pitch and her shot was narrowly off-target. She continued determinedly until she won a penalty, which was taken successfully by Kyah Simon. Villa keeper Hannah Hampton was unfortunate not to get a glove to it after diving the right way, but ultimately at her height of 5ft 8, there was little more she could do.
The teams went into halftime at 1-1, with all left to play for. Villa returned to the grass on the front foot, holding possession well in the opening 10 minutes. Tentative work was done around the Spurs box but Villa couldn’t find a way to make anything of it. Their best chances were created from a Hampton goal kick that bounced awkwardly for Korpela and a Sarah Mayling free-kick that was cleared away.
68 minutes in, Rachel Williams fired Spurs into the lead. Jessica Naz made a run down the right-wing before slotting the ball through to Williams who was given far too much space by Villa’s defence. The ball was tucked past Hampton at the near post at a speed that was too much for the young keeper.
The visitors remained relatively in control to see the game out, bar a controversial ‘near-goal’ with 10 minutes left on the clock. Maz Pacheco took Villa’s free-kick, which was claimed by a nervous Korpela. The keeper somehow dropped the ball at the feet of Ruesha Littlejohn who kicked it towards goal and it was supposedly cleared off the line by either Molly Bartrip or Shelina Zardonsky. Without the privilege of goal-line technology or VAR, the Women’s Super League is still reliant on the officials making judgement calls in real-time. Many Aston Villa fans have highlighted the exact moment online and although the clarity is not brilliant, it looks likely that Villa missed out on a point due to this potential mishap.
Towards the end of the game, Ward attempted to fight back with the substitutions of Freya Gregory, Shania Hayles, and club captain Marisa Ewers. Villa followed the boss’ instructions and pressured their opponents until the final whistle but unfortunately could not find the all-important equaliser. Tottenham now find themselves third in the WSL table, almost threatening Chelsea after their shock loss to Reading, and Aston Villa stay sat in tenth.
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In association with #HerGameToo
#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.
#HerGameToo are doing great work on understanding and removing misogyny in the men’s game, and are continuing to develop their campaign to make it the most inclusive and accessible it can be. Elevating hard-hitting stories, data and new voices is helping to spread their message loud and clear.
If you would like to show your support for #HerGameToo, you can help by calling out any misogynistic comments you hear or see and give them a follow on any of their socials.
W: http://hergametoo.co.uk T: @HerGameToo I: @HerGameToo F: @HerGameToo
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