Manchester United right-back Ona Batlle produced her ninth help of the WSL season, the joint-highest within the division alongside Chelsea’s Guro Reiten, when she made a robust run down the precise flank after amassing the ball inside her personal half and performed an ideal cross to the far publish the place Leah Galton provided the end to make it 1-1. Nevertheless, Daly’s second – a skilful end from a Maz Pacheco ball in from Villa’s left – restored the house aspect’s lead earlier than half-time.
Daly’s double took her on to 17 league targets for the season and stage with Manchester Metropolis’s Bunny Shaw within the race for the Golden Boot, and the previous Houston Sprint ahead’s all-round efficiency epitomised her spectacular first season as an Aston Villa participant after signing for the WSL membership final summer time.
The Euros-winning England star virtually had a hat-trick when she smacked a close-range stake onto the bar shortly after the break, in a break from some second-half Manchester United strain, however the guests discovered a method to equalise when Hannah Blundell’s deep cross from the left went during to Nikita Parris, whose header was solely helped into the web by Hannah Hampton. Villa then upped their sport once more and had been crestfallen when Turner rose to go within the winner within the dying embers of a red-hot match.
Skinner refused to get drawn into any dialogue round his aspect’s title probabilities, including solely: “We are able to’t management anyone else’s destiny, so we’ve simply obtained to concentrate on us. Tottenham will not be going to be straightforward, then we’ve obtained Man Metropolis, after which we’ve obtained Liverpool. Three onerous video games, however we’ve navigated one of many hardest ones tonight.”
Villa had been livid on the last-gasp resolution to award Manchester United the free-kick from which they received the sport, the place Pacheco was adjudged to have fouled Vilde Boe Risa close to the nook flag. Even essentially the most ardent Manchester United fan would absolutely admit it was ‘a bit comfortable’. Carla Ward, whose ever-improving group stay fifth within the desk, mentioned: “The lineswoman was a yard away and mentioned no foul. The ref was 30 yards away and mentioned foul. It’s a troublesome one to take. We had been glorious proper by means of the 90 minutes. We’re hurting tonight, however my gamers have been completely excellent.”
Match particulars
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Hampton 5; Mayling 6, Patten 7, Turner 7, Pacheco 7; Staniforth 8, Littlejohn 6 (Lehmann 6, 63); Blindkilde Brown 7, Dali 6, Nobbs 7; Daly 8
Subs not used: Allen, Boye-Hlorkah, Leat (gk), Magill, Keitley
Yellow playing cards: Staniforth, Littlejohn, Nobbs, Pacheco
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Earps 6; Batlle 7, Le Tissier 6, Mannion 6 (Turner 7, 87), Blundell 7; Zelem 6, Ladd 6; Parris 7 (Thomas 5, 77), Toone 6 (Boe Risa 6, 90+1), Galton 6 (Garcia 6, 77); Russo 6 (Williams 6, 77)
Subs not used: Riviere, Tounkara, Cascarino, Baggaley (gk)
Yellow playing cards: Zelem
Referee: Lisa Benn (Sussex)
Attendance: 4,176
