The WSL finally returned following the festive break and Aston Villa kicked off the weekend with a visit to Leicester City.
Noelle Maritz made her league debut for Villa after a disappointing first result against Everton in the FA Cup last weekend and Van Domselaar reclaimed her place in goal. Ward selected a front line of Daly, Leon and Lehmann, pushing Kirsty Hanson to the bench. Maz Pacheco also returned to the bench, after serving her suspension in the Cup.
Head of WSL Content: Georgia Homer
Leicester won an early free kick, but the chance was wasted when Jutta Rantala’s deep cross was headed wide by Lena Petermann. Villa’s first real attempt on goal came from Maritz as she took on an ambitious shot from outside the box across the face of goal, after picking up the ball from Laura Blindkilde.
Just a minute later, Villa scored from a well-rehearsed corner routine. Dali played it short to Leon, who sent in a cross to find Rachel Daly in the centre of the box. Her original shot was blocked, but the striker’s second attempt found the back of the net past Leitzig in goal.
Villa maintained the pressure following the opener, and almost scored a second through Alisha Lehmann. Adriana Leon was able to spin away from Leicester’s midfield and find Lehmann on the left wing, but the shot forced a good save.
Nevin brought down Leon at the edge of the box at 28 minutes, after a clever escape by Mayling in Villa’s half to start the attack. This time, the set-piece was less effective as Staniforth’s pass was too close to Leitzig. Other chances included a Staniforth long-range shot that was saved, a long ball over the top to Leon who tried a difficult angle, and a header from Anna Patten that was off target. It was a dominant first-half from Villa, possibly the best half of the season, but the lead remained at one.
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The second half saw more action for Daphne van Domselaar, who went relatively untroubled throughout the first 45. Van Domselaar made an important save a few minutes into the half, when half-time substitute Deanne Rose made her way to the byline and cut the ball back into the box. O’Brien left it for Momiki, who forced the save, then O’Brien followed up with a shot over the bar.
Sam Tierney also had a chance to equalise for Leicester at the hour mark, when she headed a cross from Rose towards goal but van Domselaar was able to catch it easily above her head.
Villa still had chances of their own, including a clever through-ball from Blindkilde to send Leon into a race with two defenders, but Letizig was out to make a brave stop. At 75 minutes, a mistake from Leitzig allowed substitute Kirsty Hanson to pick up the ball, but she was crowded by defenders from both sides and went down as a result – nothing given.
Hanson brought pace and energy to the pitch, and only moments after her penalty claim she was battling again, this time down the left wing. Her cross found Daly but the forward quickly ran into the goalkeeper.
In the final minutes of normal time, Leicester’s Deanne Rose pushed Daly off the ball in midfield and ran towards goal. Van Domselaar saved the shot from Rose, but it took Sarah Mayling on the goalline to block the follow-up by Ava Baker. The ball reached Baker again, but Laura Blindkilde calmly took the ball from her feet and struck it away – incredible composure in Villa’s own box following a few seconds of chaos.
The game ended 0-1 to Aston Villa, despite Leitzig joining the attack for the final free-kick of the game. It may have been a nervous ending, but it was a strong overall display from Carla Ward’s side, adding a fourth win to the board and taking us to 7th. Ward called this fixture a “must win” game, and that was certainly felt through the efforts of the players. It was a joy and a relief to see a performance similar to those of last season, with Laura Blindkilde and Daphne van Domselaar giving stand-out performances and Daly providing the goal.
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AUTHOR | GEORGIA HOMER
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Author’s UTV PODCAST archive Georgia Homer
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