Aston Villa travelled to Brighton for a game that resulted in 6 goals across the board, debut goals for some of Brighton’s newbies, and a red card for both teams, giving them both a dramatic game that will be remembered by their players for a while.
The hosts lined up with Sophie Baggaley in goal, followed by a back line of Maria Thorisdottir, Guro Bergsvand and Jorelyn Carabali. Fran Kirby, Marisa Olislagers, captain Vicky Losada and Poppy Pattinson lined up in the middle, while Pauline Bremer, Bruna Vilamala and Nikita Parris guarded the frontline.
Aston Villa challenged Brighton’s side with former Arsenal goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo in between the posts, with Paula Tomas, Lucy Parker, Anna Patten and Noelle Maritz as the back four. Villa opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation, putting newbie Missy Bo Kearns alongside the WSL’s all-time appearance maker, Jordan Nobbs, in the middle. Kirsty Hanson, Kenza Dali and Chasity Grant also lined up in the front middle group, with captain Rachel Daly up front.
The first chance came for Brighton at just 4 minutes, a free kick which despite their efforts, went straight into the hands of D’Angelo. The home side started off well, however it wasn't long before Rachel Daly slotted the ball into the back on Baggaley’s net, Kirsty Hanson passing the ball over to her, opening the scoring with a goal for the visitors.
Just 75 seconds later, a shot which was very nearly missed, but the hosts managed to keep it alive, with Nikita Parris, formerly of Manchester United, sliding the ball in, putting them back level with Aston Villa, and her first goal of the 24/25 season.
Shots from Kenza Dali and Jordan Nobbs helped put pressure on Brighton, as well as a shot from Missy Bo Kearns which was stopped by a wall of Brighton bodies, but thanks to Pauline Bremer, at 38 minutes an excellent shot from the left put the Seagulls in front. Despite Villa’s best efforts to turn the game around there and then, Brighton's defence stepped up, the whistle blowing for half time after 4 additional minutes, Brighton still a goal ahead.
Half Time: Brighton 2 - 1 Aston Villa
The second half started off slow, with a challenge from Mossy Bo Kearns pushing Vicky Losada to the ground, but all was okay as she got back up pretty soon after. Pauline Bremer attempted to put in a third, but Anna Patten had her under control.
58 minutes in saw Aston Villa get a penalty, after a bad tackle from Guro Bergsvand on Anna Patten off to the side of the box. Bergsvand was lucky and did not receive a yellow card, but was unlucky when Rachel Daly made no mistake in the shot, leveling the scoring once again.
The penalty sent shockwaves through Aston Villa’s players, top form came rushing through them for a good 20 minutes. A clash of heads during this time saw Rachel Daly and Jorelyn Carabali both receive medical attention, but both were fit to continue.
Katie Robinson made an appearance for Villa at 65 minutes, coming on against her former team in her former stadium. She replaced Kenza Dali, who had been a key player up to this point.
Disaster struck for Villa at 75 minutes after a cracking 20 minutes since Daly’s penalty. Paula Tomas brings Kiko Seike down in the centre of the box, appearing to shove her down pretty firmly, resulting in a straight red and sending off for Tomas, putting Villa down to 10 players and giving away a penalty to Brighton, to which former Chelsea striker Fran Kirby stepped up to get a shot past Sabrina D’Angelo, and unsurprisingly, putting Brighton ahead once again. This was Kirby’s 3rd goal this season so far. Just moments before Kirby’s goal, both Katie Robinson and Poppy Pattinson received yellow cards for dissent.
Villa’s Lucy Staniforth had a shot at goal just afterwards, but Sophie Baggaley was there to make a big save to deny the visitors of yet another equaliser.
In the 88th minute, both teams decided to make some substitutions to try and get another goal. Ebony Salmon and Sarah Mayling came on for the Villains to replace Rachel Daly and Lucy Parker, while Brighton brought on Michelle Agyemang, Arsenal’s 18 year old who is on loan to the Seagulls, to replace Fran Kirby, who became victim of a challenge which caused some pain, but nothing too serious.
Due to many injuries and stoppages throughout the second half, there were 10 minutes of extra time to be played. Michelle Agyemang and Sabrina D’Angelo both received yellow cards early into stoppage time, but the game hit another low when Brighton’s Poppy Pattinson received a second yellow card, automatically sending her off with a red card, leaving the game down to 10 V 10. Despite the red card, it was Michelle Agyemang who slotted in a fourth goal for Brighton with just 2 minutes to spare. Agyemang was a massive part of the game, even though she was only on the pitch for 20 minutes.
Full Time: Brighton 4 - 2 Aston Villa
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