Aston Villa booked their ticket to FA Cup quarter-finals after a five-goal thriller at the Poundland Bescot Stadium.
Three goals in 10 minutes either side of half-time blew Brighton & Hove Albion away in a game dominated by the Villans, and saw them win their first game under new manager Natalia Arroyo.
The Lineups
AST: D’Angelo; Mayling, Patten, Parker, Maritz, Nobbs, Baikings, Grant, Hanson, Daly, Gabi Nunes
BRI: Loeck; Thórisdóttir, Bergsvand, Carabalí, McLauchlan, Losada, Cankovic, Pattinson, Haley, Parris, Noordam
The Action
Villa started the brighter of the two sides, with Kirsty Hanson, Noelle Maritz and Rachel Daly all having efforts on goal in the opening 10 minutes. Brighton were forced to defend deep against waves of attack from the hosts, but were indebted to not just their backline’s resilience, but also Villa’s wastefulness in the final third.
Chasity Grant had a weaving run that looked to have cracked the Brighton defence open, only to lose control at the crucial moment. Gabi Nunes’ header drew a superb tip over the bar from Melina Loeck. With every opportunity spurned, Brighton grew in confidence and created good chances of their own.
Maria Thórisdóttir should have done better when Jelena Cankovic’s cross found her free at the back post. Madison Haley’s direct run saw the Villa defence part in front of her, only to shoot directly at Sabrina D’Angelo. With end of the half imminent, it looked as though both sides would be going in level. Whilst that would prove to be the case, the manner was most unexpected.
The Aston Villa defence looked well set to deal with a long pass towards their goal, only for Lucy Parker to miscue her interception. Instead of laying it back to the keeper, she provided the perfect assist for Nikita Parris, who couldn’t believe her luck, tucking the ball past D’Angelo for what looked like a certain half-time lead.
That should have been the end of the action, but instead, it was the trigger for a 10-minute Villa whirlwind either side of half-time that saw the game taken out of the Seagulls’ hands. Right on the referee’s whistle, Brighton failed to defend Jordan Nobbs’ corner, leaving Anna Patten free at the back post to bundle the equaliser from practically on the goal line.
The second half saw Villa come out with all the momentum, and they made it count. Another Nobbs delivery into the penalty area was met by the head of Daly, diverting it past the reach of Leock. Five minutes late, 2-1 became 3-1 when Grant raced onto Daly’s probing pass down the right flank, burst into the box, and drilled the ball past Leock from a tight angle.
It could have easily been 4-1. Daly spun and shot, only to fire directly at Leock. Hanson raced onto Daly’s pass, cut inside, but missed the top corner by some distance. Moments later, Hanson again had the chance to kill the tie, but Leock saved her effort well from the angle. And then, with 15 minutes to play, the late twist. A superb bit of skill on the halfway line from Haley allowed her to hold up the ball and then send Parris racing clear beyond Villa’s high line. One-on-one with D’Angelo, she made no mistake, crashing the ball into the top corner.
It should have been the moment for Brighton to lead a final siege on the Villa goal, but instead, it was their last contribution to the contest, and by extension, the competition this season. Villa almost had the final say deep in added time, as substitute Ebony Salmon ran clear, but a poor touch in the final third saw the ball roll into Leock’s grasp.
It mattered not. The full-time whistle blew soon after, confirming Aston Villa’s place in the quarter-finals after a thrilling contest, and securing a first win for new manager Natalia Arroyo. Brighton were left to rue their inability to close out the first half, and for arriving late to the party after the break, as they must now shift their focus on finishing their Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL) season in as strong a shape as possible.
The Halfway Line Player of the Match: Jordan Nobbs
The experienced midfielder in the heart of the engine room provided the crucial creativity to turn the tie in Villa’s favour. Two crosses, two goals, and a superb performance from one of the WSL’s finest ever players.
