Aston Villa Women closed 2021 with an away fixture against Manchester United Women, on Sunday 19th December.
Carla Ward’s side looked to end the year on a high after a recent loss of form and an early Conti Cup exit earlier in the week, falling short against Blackburn Rovers and failing to qualify from the group stage.
Villa were given a boost by the return of Remi Allen, our regular captain and leading goalscorer in the WSL. Her impact was sorely missed on Wednesday as she did not make the matchday squad for the cup game and Villa’s performance lacked quality and fluidity as a result. With improved availability, Sunday’s starting XI looked the strongest we’ve seen in weeks, and gave a better idea of Ward’s vision for the side. Unfortunately, Manchester United were not short of talent either, as they continued their push for Champions League qualification.
United set the tone from the opening whistle, dominating the ball and capitalising on Villa’s slow start. Ella Toone opened the scoring in the 8th minute after some impressive early team play to escape Villa’s defensive efforts. The hosts were simply quicker to react and their neat passing set up Toone for a shot across goal to find the bottom right corner.
Minutes later, a frantic Hannah Hampton swept Hayley Ladd off her feet to concede a penalty. United’s captain, Katie Zelem, converted by sending Hampton the wrong way, pushing Villa two nil down within 13 minutes.
United remained in control for the remainder of the first half, not taking their foot off the gas. Villa were fortunate that several shots flew off target, including attempts by Risa, Staniforth, and Toone. Half-time could not come sooner for the shellshocked Villans after a 45 of very few chances – the best falling to Allen, whose header was blocked.
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The second half proved no easier for Villa, as United refused to ease up on their attacks. Five minutes into the half, Lucy Staniforth got her goal. Villa’s defenders were caught out by Alessia Russo in their own half, who found Staniforth in space for her to lift a shot over Hampton.
Villa were able to create a couple of chances, but Lehmann and Petzelberger were unable to make them count. Ward freshened the midfield by replacing Littlejohn with Arthur, and was also forced into taking Hampton off for Sian Rogers.
Rogers had an equally difficult time between the sticks; she was dragged out of position by Kirsty Hanson at the near post, only for Martha Thomas to head the ball into the open net from close range. With ten minutes to go, United got their fifth and final goal through Ella Toone once more. Toone finished the afternoon with a long range effort across goal, finding the far side of the net to top off a dominant performance.
Due to the earlier positive results, Villa remain in 10th place in the league with a cushion of 10 points to rest upon. Things change quickly in the WSL however, and the club must be looking to regain momentum in the new year. Carla Ward expressed her disappointment following the match and a need to go ‘back to basics’. It is clear that the current strategies are not working and we could see a different approach following the winter break. Villa are still struggling to convert chances in front of goal, with striker Emily Gielnik struggling to get involved at all.
Manchester United climbed to third in the table briefly, until Tottenham’s 1-0 victory over Everton reclaimed their spot.
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#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.
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