Aston Villa Women Experts: Complete performance as Villans demolish Brighton in 6-2 win
We’re delighted to welcome author Freya Taylor and former academy player Lyndsey Bissell as our exclusive Aston Villa Women experts. Each week they’ll be collaborating to give their views on the biggest talking points at the WSL club…
After a 1-1 draw a mere eight days ago, the pressure was on for Aston Villa to finally take three points away from Brighton.
Carla Ward named an unchanged side from their last meeting, discussing before the match that as a team they had addressed mistakes that were made and it was a chance for all players to prove themselves once more. Brighton however debuted one of their new signings from the January transfer window, Lydia Williams, a goalkeeper with a wealth of experience, most recently at PSG, knowing Aston Villa would be coming back with a vengeance
Unfortunately, Villa seemed sluggish and sloppy in the first half, not what the travelling fans were expecting. For example, they left Brighton frequently unmarked in the box, resulting in the seagulls scoring by Zigiotti Olme‘s header from a needlessly given corner within the first three minutes. Luckily, this seemed to kick Villa into action, as just over ten minutes later at the other end of the pitch, an almost identical goal took place courtesy of a header by Lucy Staniforth, her first for the club.
This was much better from Villa, but still not as clinical as they need to be to take the team to the next level. It is interesting to note that the Villa players seemed to always be second to the ball or even two players occupying the same space, causing a few bumps and miscommunications throughout the match. This has been a continuous issue since the January transfer window and is something we know needs to be addressed.
Against a Brighton side that seemed quite organised and cohesive at this point, Villa needed a spark of creativity. Enter star January signing Jordan Nobbs, whose vision made the goal for Hanson in the 17th minute after a delightful cross in from Kenza Dali.
Knowing this could be the turning point, Villa added the pressure and it wasn’t long before Nobbs herself opened her account in the game, 3-1 to Villa in the 23rd minute.
Villa were showing their quality in the brilliant through balls, however, Dali and Daly were often caught offside. Again, showing the vision is right there, it’s just that final ball that is lacking the quality. It has to be said, Alisha Lehmann was fantastic down the wing as she frequently put her whole body into tackles to win the ball, such dedication even at an almost comfortable 3-1 up.
After two shots by Dali were saved by the keeper, Rachel Daly finally got her name on the scoresheet after Hanson was able to pass the ball skilfully for her to tap-in neatly. The scoreline now standing at 4-1 to Villa.
Probably the star player for Brighton, young England star Katie Robinson continually kept their hopes at scoring another alive. Not only was she battling through Lehmann and Dan Turner, but she was also creating scoring opportunities for her team too, with Hannah Hampton saving Robinson’s shot in the 41st minute.
As the first half was coming to a close, Villa didn’t look like they were letting up any time soon. After a brilliant pass from Kirsty Hanson, Nobbs again had the ball at her feet and gave a great lob over the keeper from outside the box to nestle the ball nicely in the bottom left corner. With two minutes to go, it’s 5-1 Villa. Easy to see why she’s been called up again to join the Lionesses for the Arnold Clark Cup. Pure skill.
With more goals racking up on the scoresheet, it was clear to see the confidence this side were oozing, it wasn’t a question of if Villa would score again, but when?
Shortly after the start of the second half, Villa were caught out after some questionable defending and a tugged shirt, although outside the box, was given as a penalty. A glimmer of hope for this Brighton side, as experienced player Danielle Carter stepped up and took a powerful shot that sailed through the gloves of Hannah Hampton in the 49th minute. This should have been the moment Brighton stepped up, however, they were unable to capitalise on this second goal and the moment was lost.
Conceding a second goal didn’t deter the visitors however, as our faithful Nobbs was back again to claim her hat trick and the team were able to see out their four-goal lead until the end of the match. Rachel Corsie coming on as a substitute also provided some well-needed strength at the back, a fantastic player whose presence is always felt immediately on the pitch. Also great to see Ruesha Littlejohn building up her minutes again, after sustaining successive injuries before she heads off to meet up with the Irish national team this week.
Out of 17 shots compared to Brighton’s seven and being able to turn six of their eight shots on goal into actual goals, it’s clear to see Aston Villa have the quality to rival the top WSL clubs, they just need that final bit of quality and consistency to match it.
Not only was it fantastic to see the likes of Nobbs and Daly provide the goals we know them so well for, but it was brilliant to see both Hanson and Dali also getting a hat trick of assists too. This variety of names on the score and assist sheet shows just how much this was a complete team performance and it’s clear to see just how proud Ward is of every member of her squad. It’s also the first time this season she’s made all five changes, showing the depth of the squad Villa finally have to be able to sustain such intensity and quality for the entire 90 minutes.
The only negative thing to report about this match was the quality of the commentary. Players’ names were mixed up and mispronounced throughout, which made for quite frustrating viewership. It sounds like a small thing, and we understand mistakes can happen, but if we are expecting the highest quality from our players, refs, coaches and fans, it’s only fair we have our commentators do the same. For example, the likes of Michael McCann who goes out of his way, no matter what matches he is working on, to make sure players’ names are pronounced exactly how they should be. He is frequently commended for his pronunciation of Arsenal’s Frida Leonhardsen Maanum, as she said in an interview that English people regularly pronounce her name incorrectly, so took it upon himself to practise and pronounce her name correctly every single time. This is the high quality we love to see, so thank you Michael for your continuous efforts to make football a totally inclusive space
Villa currently stand in fifth position in the WSL table with 20 points. Only one point ahead of Everton, who have a game in hand, so the table is looking extremely tight at the moment. Additionally, Villa are only a mere six points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, who’s recent unpredictable form could cause them to be looking over their shoulder for the claret and blue shadow that is fast approaching. We’ll be looking forward to how hungry for more success Villa are after the international break.
In other Aston Villa Women news, here’s our experts’ take on the controversy against Brighton.