Manchester City 2-1 Aston Villa: Hemp and Roord take hosts back to WSL summit

Manchester City returned to the top of the Women’s Super League table by fighting back for a 2-1 win over Aston Villa at the Joie Stadium.

City were knocked off the summit on goal difference when Manchester United and Brighton played out a 1-1 draw on Saturday, and they had to do things the hard way to restore their three-point lead.

Gabi Nunes’ flick handed winless Villa the lead against the run of play after 20 minutes, with the visitors then sitting deep and daring City to break them down.

Gareth Taylor’s team were frustrated until the 62nd minute when Lauren Hemp spotted Sabrina D’Angelo off her line and came up with a fine lob to level.

Hemp then turned provider as City completed the turnaround eight minutes later, jinking down the left-hand side to tee up Roord for her first goal since returning from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Villa remain 10th in the table with just two points from five matches, while City could see Chelsea pull within one point of them when they host Tottenham later on Sunday.

2-1 #ManCity pic.twitter.com/h7pQlFylIQ

— Manchester City Women (@ManCityWomen) October 20, 2024

Data Debrief: City comeback queens again

City have now collected seven of their 13 points in the WSL this season from losing positions – the most of any team in the competition.

This was their first home win when trailing at half-time since beating Villa last December, and Robert de Pauw’s team have already dropped eight points from winning positions this term – the most in the division.