Aston Villa 1-4 Manchester City

FixturesAston Villa Women Vs. Manchester City Women - Sun, Sep 13 2026, 18:30Aston Villa fell to a 4-1 defeat to Manchester City in their first Women's Super League home game of the season on Sunday evening. Summer signing Amelie Vangsgaard’s first goal for the club reduced the arrears for Villa on 41 minutes. The number 20 dashed across her marker in the box to turn home Chasity Grant’s low cross and halve the deficit to a single goal heading into half time. However the reigning champions flexed their attacking muscle in the second half to make it back to back wins to start their title defence. Natalia Arroyo's side will now be looking to bounce back when they travel to Brighton in the Women's Super League next Sunday (ko 2pm). Newly appointed team captain Anna Patten returned to the starting lineup as Arroyo made just one change from last week’s opening day draw at Chelsea. Villa centre half duo Patten and Mathilde Harviken were called into action several times in the opening stages to keep out 2025/26 Golden Boot winner Khadija Shaw. Having been held to a 0-0 draw on their last league visit to Villa Park in March, champions Manchester City started on the front foot, though it was Villa that went closest to breaking the deadlock early on. Grant showed brilliant pace to beat her full-back on the right wing before laying back for Lynn Wilms to whip a cross into the box. However, Vangsgaard was unable to get enough contact to turn her shot inside the near post. City then broke the deadlock from a corner. Akane Okuma attempted to claim a looping high ball but was unable to gather under heavy pressure from Lauren Hemp, and Jade Rose swept home the loose ball into the bottom corner. Despite falling behind Villa refused to let the Citizens have it all their own way, persisting with calm, composed passing out from the back to evade their high press. Though after several more periods of pressure City did find their second. Shaw laid off for Fowler to drive and find the bottom corner from the edge of the box on 29 minutes.Vangsgaard’s first goal in claret and blue pulled Villa back into it at the halfway mark to offer hope of claiming another impressive draw to start the season at home. However, the champions flexed their attacking muscle in the second half to make it two wins from two to start their title defence. Having crashed a header off the left post, Shaw broke the offside trap and dinked over Okuma to make it 3-1 in the 74th minute.Villa continued pushing forward in search of a route back into the contest, with Noelle Maritz denied after a tricky dribble forward by Mia McAulay. As the match entered the closing stages academy graduate Katie Scott was introduced for her first senior Villa appearance and WSL debut, another bright spot on a tough evening in B6. Second half substitute Beth Mead went close to a fourth for the visitors as the clock ticked past 90 minutes, before Hemp fired across goal and into the bottom corner to make it 4-1 in stoppage time. Next up for Villa in the Women’s Super League is a trip to the South Coast to face Brighton next Sunday afternoon.FixturesBrighton and Hove Albion Women Vs. Aston Villa Women - Sun, Sep 20 2026, 14:00