Villa escape with the points in WSL
Goals from Adriana Leon and Jordan Nobbs either side of half-time gave Aston Villa a 2-1 win in the Women's Super League at Brisbane Road on Sunday afternoon.
Conceding cheaply to Leon midway through the first half, we managed to equalise through Amy James-Turner's header in spite of a below-par showing in the opening 45 minutes.
Chances followed at the start of the second half as we kicked into gear, Bethany England and Martha Thomas going close, but when Nobbs picked out the top corner from distance following a half-cleared corner on the hour mark, it proved a real sucker-punch.
Kit Graham still proved a thorn in Villa's side at times and was narrowly off-target on a couple of occasions, substitute Jess Naz denied by a fine save from Daphne van Domselaar as well, but there was no way back as we headed into the international break off the back of a disappointing day in the capital.
Thomas headed wide from Charlotte Grant's cross in the opening exchanges but Leon was proving a real threat for Villa, hammering wide of the near post in a good chance before firing her side ahead in the 23rd minute, advancing towards the edge of the box before sending a low shot creeping inside the near post - a really disappointing goal to concede.
We hauled ourselves back level from a set-piece a quarter-of-an-hour later, Eveliina Summanen's well-weighted free-kick headed in by James-Turner for her first ever WSL goal.
Barbora Votikova saved sharply from Nobbs and Leon in the lead-up to half-time but we upped our game after the restart, England narrowly off-target with a long-range lob after spotting van Domselaar off her line and the impressive Graham clipping the ball over the Villa defence for Thomas to spin in behind, her shot well blocked by the advancing goalkeeper.
Villa regained the lead on the hour mark, though, Nobbs firing into the top corner from 20 yards after a corner was cleared to her and that proved a tough one to recover from. Naz stepped inside onto her left foot and forced a superb save from van Domselaar down to her right in our best chance to equalise at the midway point of the second half while Graham twice hammered marginally wide before also going close with a header from a corner, but it just wasn't to be for us on the day.
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Match data
Goals: Spurs - James-Turner 38; Aston Villa - Leon 23, Nobbs 60.
Yellow cards: Spurs - Bartrip 90+4; Aston Villa - Leon 56, Hanson 62, Nobbs 81, Corsie 90+2.
Referee: Adewunmi Soneye.
Venue: Brisbane Road.
Weather: Sunny, moderate breeze, 14 degrees.
Attendance: 1,971.