5 talking points as Aston Villa pick up first win of season over Bristol City
Aston Villa ended their five-match losing streak with a 2-0 victory over Bristol City as an own goal from City's Megan Connolly and a late strike from Ebony Salmon eased the pressure on Villa manager Carla Ward.
It has been a campaign start to forget for Villa, who unpredictably found themselves marooned at the bottom of the Women's Super League table with zero points to show for after five matches.
A trip to fellow stragglers Bristol City, who found their first points of the campaign against West Ham last week, provided the much-needed prospect of awakening a season threatening to spiral spectacularly.
Villa manager Carla Ward made three changes to the starting XI that was thrashed 6-0 by reigning champions Chelsea last weekend, with Rachel Corsie, Kenza Dali and Adriana Leon coming in for Jordan Nobbs, Alisha Lehmann and Lucy Staniforth. Meanwhile, Lauren Smith made just one change as striker Abi Harrison made her first start of the season in place of Jamie-Lee Napier.
It was a first half defined by chances crying out for quality as two sides struggling for points attempted to get the better of each other. Little separated the two sides in the opening exchanges, though the visitors could boast the better of the chances as both Rachel Daly and Leon came close.
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However, despite a slightly more compelling attacking performance, a resilient and organised City defence left Daly and co. trudging into the locker rooms at half-time with a first win of the season still at a distance.
City could credit themselves for offering their own attacking threats, with Rachel Furness forcing Daphne Van Domselaar into a finger-tip save while Abi Harrison, who was making her first start of the season, showed her quality on the ball.
The second half signalled a ferocity from Villa that suggested they felt displeasure at being held goalless to the WSL’s newest arrivals, and City defender Megan Connolly was forced to throw her body on the line less than five minutes after the restart to keep parity. Villa very nearly seized their goal as Daly was played in behind City’s defence but her low-driven shot dragged wide.
The pressure eventually told as Villa found their goal through an unfortunate deflection via Connolly with 12 minutes of regular time remaining. And substitute Ebony Salmon would soon dash hopes of a salvaged point for the hosts as she fired beyond Clark not long after. Below are the talking points from Villa's 2-0 victory over City.
Rachel Corsie of Aston Villa is challenged by Amalie Thestrup of Bristol City (Photo by Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images)1. Aston Villa find first points of the season
There was a risk that Aston Villa might decide to ban uttering the P-word. Points. After five games and five losses, Ward's side had still not wrangled a single of those pesky things yet, the only team not to do so after City wrestled three away from West Ham last weekend on the road.
Villa needed a point, one of any kind – unconvincing, cogent, a total fluke. The performance was ultimately tangential to a result that could have a lasting impact on a season once predicted to be defined by profound disruption but is now likely to be remembered for what can be salvaged.
At half-time, a point looked to be the very least that Villa would depart Ashton Gate with as a fierce deadlock remained. City could pride themselves in making the prospect of a first win of the season for the visitors a heady challenge, while Villa could find some solace in putting on a more convincing performance than those of late.
But it's three that Villa emerged from BS3 with and with a second-half performance arguably deserving of them as well after an own goal from Connolly and a late strike from Salmon. Will this kickstart Villa's season? Time will tell.
Ebony Salmon celebrates the win over Bristol City (Photo by Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images)2. Pressure eases on Ward
Villa manager Carla Ward credited her players' unwavering support for her ability to keep moving forward after last weekend's 6-0 trouncing by reigning champions Chelsea. Platitudes are fine, but points are the commodity in football and Villa needed to find some quick.
Nothing could have proved the players' supposed support more than the site of a scoreboard reading 1-0 with just over 10 minutes to go. Villa had done everything for their manager up until that point -- everything, of course, but score.
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Though the goal would technically go down as an unfortunate own goal from City's Connolly, Villa could take credit for the effort after an earnest second half.
Ward's decision to twist her starting XI proved relatively prescient. The reinstated Corsie alongside Kenza Dali in midfield was critical in providing Villa with more coherence and incision in possession, while Laura Blindkilde-Brown and Daly linked well with Leon on the right, though once again Villa struggled to pressure City's keeper.
But it was the substitutes that would make the biggest difference, with Salmon coming off the bench to force Connolly into an own goal before providing the gloss on a first win.
The bench was testament to the individual quality in Ward's ranks was in stark contrast to that of Smith's, though City have cut themselves torrid opponents for even the wiliest of WSL attacks. Villa easily could have left with only a point, perhaps less given the 70 per cent possession and only four shots on target before Connolly's deflected clearance. For now, however, pressure eases on Ward.
3. Youthful Bristol City defence impresses again
City manager Smith forecasted in her pre-match press conference that Villa's pace in behind would be the problem area, but credit must go to Smith's youthful defensive backline for yet another show that thwarted an attack teeming with more swathes of quality than its own.
For all the talk of growing chasms between the WSL and Championship, City are doing well to refuse to become another tale of woe as they continue to frustrate attacks.
Yes, it was another stolid, disciplined and, for large parts, unassailable defensive performance, with teenagers Naomi Layzell (19) and Brooke Aspin (18) belying their years alongside veteran Megan Connolly, 26, shoring up the back five with the pacey Welsh wingbacks of Ffion Morgan and Ella Powell on either side.
Adriana Leon is denied a goal-scoring opportunity by Naomi Layzell (Photo by Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images)That Connolly, who was kept busy marshalling her backline as Daly and Leon cranked up their hunt for goal, can be considered a veteran at the tender age of 26 is a testament to both City's academy production (both Layzell and Aspin are products of it) and the ability of Smith to inculcate them with so much belief.
Layzell in particular showed her strength as she denied Leon shortly before half-time and forced the 31-year-old into a silly challenge borne mostly out of frustration. Such was most of the afternoon for Villa: good positions and chances thwarted at the last second by an obstinate City defence.
But a second-half onslaught proved costly and City's defence could only weather so much as Connolly turned in an attempted clearance beyond Clark in goal.
4. Daly on a mission but goalless
If Ward was under pressure, Daly was seemingly on a one-woman mission to ensure that wasn't the case when the final whistle blew.
Daly started brightly and saw a number of good chances come and go while supplying her own as she dropped too deep to play in Leon and Hanson. The striker came close once more in the second half, though her low-driven shot dragged wide. The Lioness continued to push, closing down and harrying City's backline and dropping deep to instigate Villa's attack on her own.
For all the effort, Daly struggled to hide her growing exasperation, routinely lifting her arms after an errant pass from a teammate as if to ask the obvious question. But Daly would play a crucial role in Villa's goal as Connolly's deflection came in an attempt to deny the 31-year-old a tap-in from Salmon's swiped effort.
Daly was arguably unfortunate not to find herself on the scoresheet, and two goals in six matches is a haul few predicted for last season's Golden Boot winner.
5. Harrison returns to City with edge
As bravely and wholeheartedly as City hurled themselves into a series of blocks and tackles, this was also proof that City are a different proposition when Harrison is available. Making her first start of the season since recovering from injury, the Scotland international needed only a handful of minutes to show the quality she can provide on the left flank.
Abi Harrison of Bristol City is challenged by Sarah Mayling and Adriana Leon of Aston Villa (Photo by Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images)City’s best chances arrived through picking a bad pass off a wasteful Villa and attempting to thread a rampaging Amalie Thestrup through on goal, but it was Harrison's confidence on the ball and ability to pick a pass that gave City their biggest threat. Harrison ultimately couldn't herald her full return with a goal contribution and was subbed off on the hour mark.
The loss of Harrison in attack was conspicuous. The trick for Smith's side was to find the edge to go with the organised obstinance. City had frustrated Arsenal to great lengths but those frustrations very rarely filtered to the opposite end of the pitch. But with Harrison back fit and confident, the margin of quality that had been missing could potentially be found.
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