Aston Villa 2-4 Manchester City

Aston Villa’s unbeaten run came to an end this afternoon as they were defeated 4-2 by Manchester City at Villa Park in the Women’s Super League.

 Chasity Grant got the scoring up and running after only six minutes on the clock but two goals from Vivianne Miedema in seven minutes saw the home side have the advantage at the break.

Kirsty Hanson forced an own goal seconds after the restart as Villa look to turn things around and earn something from the feisty encounter but further goals from Mary Fowler and Jill Roord sealed the three points for Man City.

Interim Head Coach Shaun Goater made four changes to the side that drew 1-1 away to Everton last weekend as Sarah Mayling, Maz Pacheco, Hanson and Grant all came into the starting 11.

Villa started the game brightly and hit City on the attack to go 1-0 ahead on only the 6^th minute.

Playing out from the back, Anna Patten rolled the ball out to Sarah Mayling who slipped a well-weighted pass into Grant’s path. The forward then shrugged off her marker on the halfway line before storming 50 yards into the area where she smashed home her first-ever WSL goal.

Only three minutes later Hanson teed up a shot on goal for the hosts as she cut back inside to create some space, but her effort flew just over the target.

The tide then began to turn, and the visitors went on the hunt for the equaliser with Miedema powering a shot goalwards from inside the box, but Patten got down to make the block.

Fowler floated a troubling free kick deep into the box on the 27^th minute but Sabrina D’Angelo coolly rose the highest to collect the ball.

However, Villa were punished for a mistake at the back only a minute later as Miedema levelled the scoring.

Jill Baijings played the ball back to Dan Turner in defence, but she unintentionally scuffed her follow up pass and Miedema was waiting to pounce on the loose ball to slot home a first-time shot.

Miedema wreaked havoc again seven minutes later as she picked up a pass from Fowler, turned and thundered a terrific effort from distance into the far top corner to give City the advantage at the break.

The Villans weren’t content to settle for defeat so soon though and they came flying out of the traps after the restart.

They moved the ball forward quickly, with Baijings finding Pacheco who slipped a pass through to Hanson and the forward’s resulting cross was turned home by Laia Aleixandri to make it 2-2 on the 46^th minute.

But Villa found themselves on the back foot again as Fowler restored the visitor’s lead on the 54^th minute with a top corner effort from outside the box.

Park made it an even more difficult task for Villa eight minutes later as she steered home a cross from Kerstin Casparij to make it 4-2 to Man City.

Despite the scoreline the home side continued to push to earn something from the encounter and Rachel Daly thought to reduced the deficit three minutes into stoppage as she bundled home a shot from eight yards out but the offside flag was harshly raised on the captain as the ball came off a City defending before reaching her.