After the success of last weekend, when Aston Villa moved top of Group A in the Conti Cup, the team travelled to Old Trafford for the return of the Womenβs Super League.
It was the third ever WSL game to be played at the menβs stadium and attracted over thirty thousand fans – a new club record for Manchester United.Β
Hannah Hampton rejoined the starting XI in the cup game against Durham and kept a clean sheet, and kept her place for this game. Kirsty Hanson was ineligible for this fixture against her parent club, and was therefore replaced by Freya Gregory.
Alarmingly, Villa had only four substitutes to name for this game, one of whom was goalkeeper Anna Leat. This gave Carla Ward very limited options to change the game and any injuries would be disastrous. Villa had a scare in the opening minutes of the match as Rachel Daly went down following a tough challenge by Maya Le Tissier. Fortunately, the attacker was back up and running after a short period of panic for the away fans.
It was quickly made clear that Manchester United would have most of the possession and Villaβs chances would be limited to counter attacks. An opportunity arose in the opening 10 minutes when Kenza Dali played a brilliant ball in for Alisha Lehmann on the right wing but she was unable to square it to Rachel Daly, so goalkeeper Mary Earps was able to intervene.Β
United scored their first in the 13th minute. Hampton, clearly not back to full match sharpness, made the initial save but a weak parry gave the ball to Katie Zelem who could lash the ball home from close range.
Villa tried to respond with a clever set piece routine, after a good run by Kenza Dali forced the defender to concede a corner. Villa took the corner short and opted for a cross from further out from goal, in an attempt to score the first set piece goal against Manchester United of the season, but the team were able to clear.
Unitedβs second goal came from Leah Galton, who seemed to break away from the pack suddenly to finish off a through ball from Ella Toone. The move was started from a throw-in, and the Villa defence were taken by surprise at how quickly the attack was formed.
Another chance for Villa came at the half hour mark. Lehmann won the ball off Nikita Parris in midfield and linked up with Dali on the left wing before sending the ball across the box. The ball somehow made its way past a number of players on both teams before finding Freya Gregory on the far side, who took a shot and forced a save from Earps.
Villa continued pushing and soon had the ball in the back of the net, but the flag went up for offside. It was a well worked move ending with another save that Lehmann scored on the rebound, but Gregory was found to be marginally ahead of the defender before her initial shot.
The half ended 2-0 to Manchester United, with a flurry of chances for the home side just before the break. A free-kick pinged around the box and Villa managed to eventually clear, but the ball was met by Le Tessier who shot low from outside the box and Hampton was able to save.
SUBSCRIBE
Enjoying this article? – then it’s completely free to subscribe to UTVPODCAST | An Aston Villa Blog; you’ll receive instant email notifications of all released articles.
United added to their tally early in the second half. Parris sent Toone down the right wing and was able to set up their fellow Lioness Alessia Russo with a ball into the back post.
Carla Ward made her first change at 3-0, bringing on Emily Gielnik for Freya Gregory. The Villa number 9 was expected to be out until Christmas after injuring her calf on international duty with Australia, so this was a welcome return.
At around the hour mark, Daly made a long-range effort that was easy saved. Quickly following this, Alisha Lehmann won the ball back again close to goal and struck a powerful shot, which was again saved by Earps.
Although Villa never gave up, a special goal from Ona Batlle went in off the crossbar to make it four and an injury time tap-in from Rachel Williams ended the game at 5-0 to Manchester United. A disappointing score line against the title contenders, especially following our league cup win against the same opposition earlier in the season.
Thumbnail Media Credit: Aston Villa Football Club | The official club website | AVFC
AUTHOR | GEORGIA HOMER
Authorβs UTV PODCAST archiveΒ Georgia Homer
UTV PODCAST HQ | LATEST NEWS
DONATE
UTVPODCAST | An Aston Villa Blogβ is now accepting small donations, which will help to support the site’s ongoing evolution.
Thank you so much for your support.
VILLA BELLAS
Villa Bellas is the Official AVFC Womenβs Network. In an unequal and often unrelenting world we work to break down barriers for equality.
Our network aims to raise the voice of women and non-binary people at @AVFCOfficial We support inclusion & diversity and with our allies, we can challenge sexism and misogyny, creating a safe and welcoming environment for the fans in the stands and the women on the pitch.
Let’s celebrate ourselves and champion each other while having fun doing it!
Twitter: @villabellas Instagram: @villa.bellas
SUBSCRIBE
Enjoying this article – then please subscribe to UTVPODCAST | An Aston Villa Blog to help us grow and support the site; you’ll receive instant email notifications of all released article.
Plus, it’s completely free.
PARTNERS
UTVPODCAST is pleased to partner with Official AVFC Store, Fanatics, Kitbag, and Classic Football Shirts. Throughout the season, we will bring you special offers and discount codes.
ASTON VILLA | KITBAG
ASTON VILLA | AVFC STORE
2022/23 Aston Villa – Shop Now
ASTON VILLA | CLASSIC FOOTBALL SHIRTS
SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook and Twitter readers, click the respective icon below to follow our utvpodcast social media accounts.
