Aston Villa held off a late surge from Everton to clinch a win at Walton Hall Park in the Women’s Super League.
Kenza Dali broke the deadlock for Villa in the 55th minute with a precise strike, courtesy of Rachel Daly’s backheel assist.
Just five minutes later, Ebony Salmon extended Villa’s lead by nodding in Jordan Nobbs’ excellent cross.
Despite Elise Stenevik’s late effort for Everton, connecting with Aurora Galli’s free-kick to score, she was subsequently shown a red card for a second bookable offence in injury time. Stenevik’s dismissal came after fouling Miri Taylor on a counter-attack as Villa held on to secure victory and climb to seventh place in the WSL standings.
Meanwhile, Everton remained in 10th position, maintaining an eight-point cushion above the relegation zone, having not secured a win since February 18th.
Both teams entered the match struggling for form and confidence in the first half. However, Villa showed improvement after the break, deserving their victory against an Everton side that managed only one shot on target.
With bottom-placed Bristol City accumulating just six points from their initial 15 games, it’s likely that both Villa and Everton have already amassed enough points to secure their top-flight status for the season.