Aston Villa Women

Aston Villa beat Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0 in the Women’s Super League on Saturday afternoon to confirm that they will finish in seventh place in the league this season.

Alisha Lehmann scored the only goal at Broadfield Stadium during the second half after Villa had earlier hit the crossbar.  The defeat saw the Seagulls lose their fifth league game in a row at home though they did have chances to score and good spells in this match.

The visiting were fans making most of the noise, whilst on the pitch in the early stages both sides were passing the ball about but creating no chances.

The first opportunity went Aston Villa’s way in the 8th minute when Kenza Dali won the ball in midfield and passed to Rachel Daly whose strike from the edge of the area was saved. 

The visitors had another chance three minutes later when Kirsty Hanson run down the left side and her cross found Lehmann in the area but she put her shot wide.  Almost immediately, Dali had the Villans next effort but the Seagulls goalkeeper Melina Loeck saved this one easily.

Lee Geum-min had the host first attempt on target in the 16th minute but Anna Leat got down well to save her strike. A minute later, Madison Haley’s long ball forward found Elisabeth Terland but her shot from an angle for Albion drifted wide of the post.

Danielle Turner headed a Brighton cross just over her own crossbar around the mid-point of the first half.

Dali picked up another loose ball in midfield for the away side and advanced before passing to Daly who found space in the area and but saw her shot deflected just wide in the 26th minute.

Terland closed down the Villa goalkeeper but the ball bounced away from goal before it was cleared.

There were “We love you Carla we do” chants from the visiting fans after it had been announced on Friday that head coach Carla Ward would be leaving at the of the season.

Haley’s long effort from 30-yards dipped just over the crossbar on the half-hour mark, then seconds later Terland got onto Vicky Losada’s backheel but shot wide as the hosts had two quick chances.

At the other end, Daly couldn’t get clean contact on the ball and Maria Thorisdottir blocked. 

The game was end to end with the Seagulls immediately having the next chance but Terland’s strike was saved by Leat.

In the 35th minute, Villa went close to taking the lead when Hanson advanced with the ball in the middle of the pitch and from 20-yards smashed a shot against the bar before Brighton headed the ball clear.

Dali cut in from the left in the 38th minute but her attempt from just outside the area went over as the visitors went close to going ahead again.

Two minutes before half time, Haley curled an effort wide from Albion. 

Lehmann shot into the side netting with the final effort of the first half for the Villans as the sides went in at the break goalless.  

Lucy Parker came on for Aston Villa for the first time since December after recovering from an injury in the 55th minute.

Brighton having more of the possession in the first 15 minutes of the second half, and Lee saw her effort deflected across the six-yard box by Turner before the ball was put behind for a corner as the hosts had the first chance after the break.

Thorisdottir made a tackle on Daly as the former England international tried to control the ball in the area but it rolled to Lehmann who gave Villa the lead in the 64th minute when she finished low into the net past Loeck.

Adriana Leon saw an effort go right across goal just after coming on as a substitute.  Another substitute for the Villans, Ebony Salmon, then did the same thing but from the other side of the goal.

A deep free kick from the visitors was knocked back into the six-yard box by Rachel Corsie but Leon, who had impressed since coming on, headed over the bar as they looked to add a second.

Katie Robinson’s enticing low cross from the left in the 83rd minute rolled across goal but none of her Brighton teammates could got onto it.  Another dangerous low cross five minutes later from Robinson went right across the area and behind for a goal kick.

In the fourth of eight minutes stoppage time, Leon darted forward down the right-side for the visitors but her low shot was stopped by Loeck’s foot.

That turned out to be the final chance as referee Elizabeth Simms blew the final whistle a few minutes later and Lehmann’s goal, her second in two games, turned out to be the match winner for Aston Villa.

Line-ups

Brighton & Hove Albion (4-3-3): Loeck, Carabali (Kullberg 90’), Bergsvand, Thorisdottir, Pattinson, Symonds (Stafanovic 75’), Losada (c) (Robinson 64’), Zigiotti, Haley, Terland, Lee (Sarri 75’)

Unused substitutes: Baggaley, Mengwen, McEwen, Dent

Booked - Thorisdottir

Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Leat, Mayling, Patten (Corsie 65’), Turner (Pacheco 81’), Maritz, Nobbs (Salmon 65’), Taylor (Parker 56’), Lehmann (Leon 65’), Dali, Hanson, Daly (c)

Unused substitutes: Poor, Gregory, Magill

Goal – Lehmann 64’

Booked – Hanson, Maritz

Referee – Elizabeth Simms

Attendance - 2,651