Aston Villa Women secured their first Women's Super League victory of the season by coming from behind to beat Liverpool 2-1 on Sunday. The win at Keys Park, earned through a Chasity Grant equaliser and a Grace Fisk own goal, moves Villa off the bottom of the standings. The victory, their first in five league games, lifts them to 13th in the FA WSL with 3 points from a record of no wins, three draws and two losses.
Natalia Ramos Álvarez gave Liverpool the lead after 16 minutes, finishing from a Fuka Nagano pass. Villa, who had started the day 13th in the table with just three points from five games, grew into the contest and found their equaliser just after the hour mark. Chasity Grant, set up by goalkeeper Akane Okuma, fired home to make it 1-1.
How Villa turned the game
Villa's winner arrived with a little under 20 minutes to play. A corner delivered by Oceane Deslandes caused chaos in the Liverpool box, with defender Grace Fisk turning the ball into her own net. Despite being outshot 23 to 7 and seeing just 33% of possession, Villa defended resolutely. Okuma made eight saves to protect the lead, including a key stop from a Liverpool corner late on.
Manager Natalia Arroyo made three changes at halftime, introducing Rofiat Adenike Imuran and Oriane Jean-François, which shifted the momentum. The result ends a five-game winless run in the league and provides a vital morale boost ahead of a trip to face fifth-placed Everton next Saturday. The three points cut the gap to the WSL leaders, Manchester City, to 12 points. This win is part of a much-improved recent run of three wins and a draw from their last five matches across all competitions, following a 4-0 defeat to Tottenham and a win over Nottingham Forest.
The team now looks ahead to their next fixture, which is away to Everton at Walton Hall Park on Saturday, November 23. They will travel to face Everton Women, who are currently 5th in the table, on Sunday 25 October. The squad will hope to build on a season where they have scored 4 goals but conceded 11, giving them a goal difference of minus seven.
Liverpool manager Gareth Taylor reacted to his side's 2-1 defeat on October 18. Taylor said his team, which took an early lead through Natalia Ramos Álvarez, should not have lost. "Really disappointed, it's a game we shouldn't lose," the Liverpool head coach stated. He rued a failure to work the Aston Villa goalkeeper enough despite dominating possession. The win is part of Villa's recent form of three wins and one draw from their last five matches.
