Aston Villa Women 1-2 West Ham United Women
Barclays FA Women’s Super League
Banks's Stadium
Sunday 6 February 2022
Strong starts to both halves saw West Ham United Women power their way past Aston Villa Women in a 2-1 win at Banks’s Stadium.
The Irons took an early lead when Abbey-Leigh Stringer scored her first goal for the Club with a scruffy effort amidst a goalmouth scramble, but – in a first half of few chances – the hosts equalised on the stroke of half-time thanks to Alisha Lehmann’s penalty.
Once more, West Ham were the better team in the opening stages of the second period, Kateřina Svitková restoring their advantage with an opportunistic effort after catching out the Villa defence playing out from the back.
Goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold was forced into several solid stops on her return to the side from international duty, most notably from Ramona Petzelberger and Lehmann late on, but a 2-1 win built on a steely defence and clinical finishing was fully warranted in the end.
Upon his return to the dugout following a positive COVID-19 test, manager Olli Harder made four changes from the side who convincingly saw off the challenge of Sheffield United in the Vitality Women’s FA Cup fourth round a week ago.
Arnold, fresh from a spell away with Australia at the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup, returned between the posts, with Kate Longhurst, Dagny Brynjarsdottir and Lisa Evans also all back in the starting XI.
A mixed start by the Hammers saw a couple of nervy moments defensively, but Grace Fisk made a smart intervention ahead of Ruesha Littlejohn after ten minutes when a corner was only half-cleared in the first passage of play.
And just a minute later, the significance of that early defensive solidity was emphasised.
Stringer put the Irons into the lead with her first West Ham goal since signing in the summer. Direct running from Lisa Evans won a corner on the right wing which Svitková delivered menacingly.
Indeed, the delivery was too hot for Villa goalkeeper Hannah Hampton to handle, and a goalmouth scramble ensued. Claudia Walker saw her first effort cleared off the line but Stringer, diving in, was in the right place at the right time to poke the ball over the line.
The remainder of the half certainly did not lack intent from either side, with plenty of back-and-forth, but despite Villa dominating the ball, both teams’ intense presses largely nullified the possibility of further chances.
Ten minutes before half-time, the first goalscorer of the match also became the first player to be booked, Stringer committing a professional foul to prevent Jill Scott from instigating an Aston Villa counter-attack.
And as Villa attempted to mount a spell of sustained pressure amidst torrential conditions at Banks’s Stadium, competitive challenges began to fly in, earning Walker a yellow card which – from the subsequent free-kick – forced Arnold to punch away among a crowd of bodies.
Then, five minutes before half-time, Villa were gifted the chance to level from the penalty spot – this time benefitting from a more contentious decision.
Former Hammer Alisha Lehmann dug out space on the right wing to clip in a cross which Longhurst and Ramona Petzelberger competed for, and as the two players came together, referee Lucy May pointed for the spot-kick.
With typical footballing irony, Lehmann stepped forwards to take the kick, sweeping the ball low into the bottom-left corner to give Arnold – who’d guessed the right way – little chance.
And so after a stop-start half the two teams went into the break level, perhaps a fair reflection on a first half largely devoid of goalmouth action.
A more open second half ensued after the restart, with Arnold showing assured handling to gather in a 30-yard effort from another former Hammer, Maz Pacheco.
Seconds later, Walker was denied in a big chance for West Ham. As she has done so often, so dangerously this season, Svitková danced inside two defenders before poking the ball through for the No9 on the overlap.
The through ball took a deflection off the shins of Anna Patten which forced Walker to adjust her run but, having seemingly taken the ball round Hampton, the goalkeeper recovered well to tip the resulting shot round the post.
It was a temporary reprieve as Harder’s Hammers once again started a half impressively.
Hampton and Patten got caught in all sorts of trouble overplaying at the back for Villa and, under pressure from Brynjarsdottir, the centre-back was dispossessed by Svitková.
The Czech Footballer of the Year duly showed off her attacking quality by rounding the defender and, shaping to square the ball, instead slipping it through Hampton’s legs to restore West Ham’s lead with her fourth goal in her last seven games in all competitions.
Villa’s response was immediate. Lehmann’s cross deflected back for England stalwart Scott to have a go at goal, but Svitková did well to take the pace off the effort before it reached Arnold.
The Australian was then forced into a more impressive stop by Remi Allen’s near-post flick, and from the resulting corner, Villa made first contact – but the flick-on was again well held by West Ham’s No1.
After a bright opening to the second period, the game’s momentum did slow again, but Arnold did make a good reflex save from Lehmann after both the ‘keeper and Lucy Parker ahead of her went for the same ball, presenting the ball to the Swiss forward out wide. Our shot-stopper, however, spread herself well to block the lob.
And it was Lehmann who again was next to have a big opportunity for Villa, running clean in on goal and – one on one – clipping a finish over Arnold but wide of the mark, before being flagged offside.
An open second half was there for the taking, and it was Svitkova who almost sealed the three points with ten minutes remaining. The No10 picked up a square ball from Zaneta Wyne, checked inside two defenders and laced a 25-yard dipping shot narrowly wide of Hampton’s far post as the goalkeeper scrambled.
Then, with five minutes remaining, a final golden opportunity fell the way of the hosts as a free-kick on the halfway line was pumped long into the Hammers’ box and headed on by Patten.
Petzelberger appeared to have all the time in the world to slot home but, as Arnold rushed from her line, the Villa forward side-footed her effort wide, with West Ham’s No1 appearing to get the slightest of touches with the outside of her boot – an outstanding, crucial save for her side.
With that, West Ham had weathered the Villa storm, a second away win of the season taking Harder’s Hammers up to seventh – now just five points behind Manchester United in third.
West Ham United: Arnold; Flaherty (c), Fisk, Parker, Svitkova, Longhurst, Stringer, Brynjarsdóttir, Snerle (Wyne 77), Evans (Filis 45), Walker
Subs: Leat, Moore, Joel, Houssein
Goals: Stringer 12, Svitková 52
Booked: Stringer, Walker, Longhurst
Aston Villa: Hampton, Mayling, Patten, Asante, Pacheco, Littlejohn (Blindkilde 75), Scott, Allen (c), Lehmann, Gielnik (Boye-Hlorkah 88), Petzelberger
Subs: Rogers, Sargeant, Hutton, McLoughlin, Haywood, Hayles
Goal: Lehmann 42