Aston Villa Women got their Conti Cup campaign underway for this season with a comfortable win over Sheffield United. After a disappointing start to the season, Carla Ward’s team were looking to use the cup to kick-start their campaign.
In last season’s competition, Villa lost in the quarter finals to Arsenal who went on to win the cup against Chelsea and are the current holders of the competition.
There were a large number of changes made to the starting line-up with players being rested for the WSL fixture at the weekend against Bristol City.
Report: Sheffield United Women 0-5 Aston Villa Women
Ward named Anna Leat as the goalkeeper for the first time this season, replacing Daphne Van Domselaar. Captain Rachel Corsie returned as she replaced Anna Patten and for the first time this season Olivia McLoughlin was handed a start. Fan favourite Kenza Dali returned to the matchday squad following a lengthy injury.
As with move fixtures this week, both sides observed a minute’s silence for remembrance day before kick-off. Villa started the game on the front foot and took the lead just seven minutes into the game.
Adriana Leon was brought down in the box winning a penalty. As you would expect, Rachel Daly stepped up and slotted home to open the scoring.
Villa doubled their lead a few minutes later when Daly acrobatically got on the end of a Leon cross to make it 0-2.
The England striker then completed her hat-trick after 26 minutes when she once again linked up with Leon, getting on the end of a cross to head past Eleanor Heeps in the United goal.
Villa continued to press with Leon, Ebony Salmon, Maz Pacheco and Laura Blindkilde-Brown all troubling Heeps.
Five minutes later and the visitors were at it again, this time it was Salmon who was able to score her first goal of the season and first since returning to Villa in the summer.
McLoughlin was able to get on the end of a goal-kick and head the ball forward into the path of Salmon who was able to cooly make it 0-4.
Ward looked to her bench at half-time and withdrew hat-trick hero Daly for 18-year-old Georgia Mullett, who was making her first appearance of the season.
It didn’t take long until Villa scored again when Dan Turner slotted home her first goal in claret and blue in the 56th minute.
Five minutes later, we saw a triple sub for Villa as Ward introduced Kirsty Hanson, Alisha Lehmann and Dali for her first minutes of the season replacing Salmon, Leon and Blindkilde-Brown. The final change was made in the 68th minute seeing Lucy Staniforth replacing Jordan Nobbs.
Following so many changes the game began to die down as you would expect until the home side was awarded a late penalty when Snaniforth dragged her opponent down to the ground. Former Villan, Jodie Hutton stepped up but was denied by Leat in what proved to be the final kick of the game.
Analysis
Daly looked back to her scintillating best which will give any side a boost but it was the impressive performance of Leon down the right and her link-up play with Sarah Mayling that caught my eye.
The return of Dali was a bonus as she was such an important player to how Ward wanted her side to play last season.
Supporters will now be hoping that the ladies can kick-start their season following this morale-boosting victory and start to pick some much-needed points up in the WSL.