Aston Villa v Everton Match Recap

Photo Credit: Aston Villa FC

It was all level at the end at Walton Hall Park, with the points being shared between the two teams and leaving both teams still in close contention with each other on the WSL table.

Aston Villa dominated the match with just over half of the possession, but Everton made a late comeback to match Rachel Daly’s first half goal, with Veatriki Sarri’s 89th minute strike.

Game Play

Heading into the match, Everton started with a 4-4-2 line-up, giving them a solid defensive stance but ample opportunity for attacking advances against the Villains. Featured players in the line-up included new signing from Manchester United Hayley Ladd and Barcelona loanee Martina Fernandez for the first time since moving to the Toffees’ side during this international break.

Aston Villa decided on a 4-2-3-1 which also gave them a solid defence, but with perhaps more opportunities for more dynamic attacks and allowing for more fluidity on the pitch. The squad selection saw Rachel Daly in a deeper role than usual in order to provide Gabriella Nunes Da Silva with more attacking opportunities.

During the match, both teams made use of their benches. Everton saw five different substitutes who definitely had a significant influence on the second half of the match, and Aston Villa made just four switches during the second half.

First Half

Despite both teams looking for an early goal, there was limited chance for either team to score in the opening minutes of the game. Villa dominated the half, having over 60% of the possession and racking up an impressive ten attempts on goal. In the early stages of the match, they made some dangerous looking runs goalward down the left-hand side but struggled to connect with Brazilian international Gabriella Nunes Da Silva.

Everton posed little threat to the ball, with only four shots on goal, giving Sabrina D’Angelo little to worry about. Courtney Brosnan however put in a stint to fend off the Villains, making several impressive saves. However, in the 30th minute, Villa made a dangerous looking break resulting in a goal from Rachel Daly, assisted from a cross by Noelle Maritz who was unchallenged down the right wing.

After that, Everton livened up and seemed more active in the game, creating a few attempts on goal for Payne and Wheeler. Other notable actions included a yellow card for Jill Baijings for a bad foul.

Overall, Aston Villa looked to be intimidating on the ball and Everton needed to make some changes going into the second half for a chance to level the score line.

Second Half

After the break, Villa continued to apply the pressure they’d built in the first half, dominating the game and making good use of the ball when in possession. With new signing Emma Watson being substituted on alongside Kelly Gago and Melissa Lawley, Everton seemed to gain some new energy with Gago making a good run and an attempt on goal in her first few minutes. Everton were clearly looking to level, making more attacking moves and Brosnan continuing to make more crucial saves to keep the score line down.

Aston Villa also made key substitutes, seeing Kirsty Hanson and Miri Taylor replace Ebony Salmon and Jill Baijings in the 62nd minute. As Everton began to look more menacing, D’Angelo made an almost fatal move, sending the ball straight to Wheeler who could’ve easily equalised if it weren’t for a quick block from D’Angelo. Everton made another substitution seeing Lucy Hope coming onto the pitch in the 72nd minute, creating a bit more urgency on the pitch going into the closing fifteen minutes of the match.  

Everton’s Kelly Gago received a yellow card giving way for a free kick to the Villains, though this didn’t come to anything. Both teams made additional subs in the 80th minute with Chastity Grant replacing Adriana Leon for Villa and Everton’s new signing Hayley Ladd making way for Chelsea loanee Louna Ribadeira.

Finally, in the 89th minute, Everton managed to achieve an equaliser with Veatriki Sarri scoring a powerful strike from just outside of the box. With six minutes of additional time, there was more opportunity for Everton to get more momentum in the match after their crucial equalising goal.

First half scorer Rachel Daly was substituted off in the 93rd minute to make way for Lucy Parker in the final three minutes of play. Both sides received a yellow card each in stoppage time, resulting in bookings for Noelle Maritz and Melissa Lawley respectively, before the final whistle was blown.

Overall, although Aston Villa seemed much more threatening in the first half, gaining the lead going into half time, but, with a late goal from Sarri, the points were shared yesterday at Walton Hall Park.

Stats

Despite Everton’s comeback in the second half of the game, it was definitely the Villains who came out on top statistically. With 57% of the possession overall and a whopping 61% in the first half, they had ample opportunities to score and to dominate over the Toffees.

In terms of chances to score, it was once again Aston Villa who had greater opportunity to do so. Out of a total fourteen shots on goal, ten were on target, including Rachel Daly’s goal in the 30th minute. Everton, despite lacking in the first half still managed to have three out of their six goals on target and ended up with 43% of the total possession during game time.

Sharing the points in this match, both teams now have 10 points each going into round 12 of the Barclays Women’s Super League. Next up for the Toffees is an away fixture in the WSL at The Chigwell Construction Stadium for a clash with the Hammers on Sunday 26th January. For the Villains, they will face Manchester City at Villa Park on Saturday 25th January.