A late winner from Kirsty Hanson was enough to steal victory for Aston Villa on the road in the Barclays Women’s Super League.
The Villans looked certain to claim the three points before the interval, but a strong second half display from Tottenham saw the north London side scrape their way back into the contest.
Despite Tottenham’s best efforts at Brisbane Road, a late winner from Kirsty Hanson stole the spotlight seeing Spurs suffer another defeat on home turf. As for Villa, the side all but confirm their place in the top-flight next season, now seven points clear of Crystal Palace in 12th.
The Lineups
TOT: Kop; Morris, Bartrip, Rybrink, Neville; Summanen, Oroz, Spence; Holdt; Naz, Thomas
AVL: D’Angelo; Maritz, Patten, Parker; Pacheco, Taylor, Staniforth, Grant; Kearns; Daly, Salmon
The Action
Aston Villa broke the deadlock in the 29th minute as Lucy Staniforth’s whipping free kick was met by Rachel Daly’s strong header which was narrowly denied by the woodwork. The Villans were fast to pounce on the rebound as Anna Patten headed home the remains to give her side the lead at Brisbane Road.
Jess Naz stormed down the left channel before an intervention from Lucy Parker brought the Spurs forward down on the edge of the area. The Villans were able to work possession up the pitch on the counterattack before Rachel Daly’s flicked-on header at the halfway line opened up Ebony Salmon down the spine. The 24-year-old stormed forward and buried her strike into the back of the net to double Aston Villa’s advantage on the road.
Naz tried to bring her side some sign of life as the clock ticked down into the final 30 minutes, forcing a brilliant save from Sabrina D’Angelo. The young English forward would reap the rewards of her efforts moments later as Eveliina Summanen’s cross was headed down by Ella Morris at the back post, allowing Naz to slam home the rebounds and halve the deficit.
Despite the commentators claims of a hopeful ball from Eveliina Summanen, the midfielder’s quality in possession opened up Morris on the counterattack before a poorly timed advance from Villa goalkeeper D’Angelo allowed the defender to slip a strike home and draw terms back level.
The stats told the story of the game in the end. A near 50/50 split of possession, 5-6 in shots on target, 1-1 in big chances created. A classic game of two halves for the fans in Leyton.
However, Kirsty Hanson would rewrite the narrative in the dying moments, splitting open the Spurs backline to bury the winning strike into the back of the net.
Unconvincing Aston Villa scrape a place in the WSL
Three points on the road all but confirms that Natalia Arroyo’s side should confirm their stay in the top-flight next season. Now seven points clear of Crystal Palace in last, the distance seems difficult to make up for the Eagles.
A strong summer window had many fans excited to watch this new-look Aston Villa side following the conclusion of the Carla Ward era. But the story didn’t transpire in such a way, as Robert de Pauw’s swift sacking saw the Birmingham side continue what was a dark trough of form.
Today’s performance against Tottenham told a similar story, a strong start promptly beheaded by the side’s lack of composure in the opening stages of second halves. The quality in this side is there, but the execution is far from fruitful.
Villa’s defence is a sore point and will need some strong renovation in the summer window, but the rest of the pack hold the quality to be a solid performer in the WSL. The reality is, it would be unjust to draw any conclusions on Natalia Arroyo’s Aston Villa side until she has been awarded a summer window at the wheel. So, until then, fans in the Midlands should be given the freedom to celebrate a headstrong victory in the capital.
Tottenham winless after three months
Unlike Arroyo’s Villans who have faced a season of turbulence, Robert Vilahamn is closing in on the end of his second season at Tottenham Hotspur.
The loss at Brisbane Road leaves Tottenham without a victory since January 26, where a miraculous free kick from Olivia Holdt salvaged a 3-2 win over a struggling Crystal Palace side. Vilahamn’s side have conceded 22 goals in 2025 alone- a damning indication on the weaknesses of the current backline.
Despite Naz’s best efforts to bring a pulse back to the lifeless Spurs frontline, her second half goal marked just her second WSL score this season. Alongside Martha Thomas who currently has zero goals to her name in the league, Robert Vilahamn’s attacking style seems to have been lost and left behind in the 2023/24 campaign.
Leaving young talent like Matilda Vinberg to rot alone on the bench, Spurs continue to face the harsh reality of a side without Grace Clinton and Celin Bizet. Olivia Holdt is a bright creative spark, and Ella Morris has enough talent to break into the England squad, but the rest of the side are heaving to keep up with the pair’s individual ceilings.
Summanen has the stature to be one of the league’s strongest defensive midfielders, but the Finnish international can’t seem to charge any chemistry between Drew Spence and Maite Oroz. Spurs seem to be as disjointed as Aston Villa, resulting in a strong game of ping-pong in Leyton.
While Tottenham should be proud of their second half display, another leaky moment from the Tottenham back four sees them bow out at Brisbane Road. This time last year, fans in Lilywhite were heading to Wembley, now they are left wondering what has gone wrong.
