Aston Villa Women 1-0 Brighton & Hove Albion Women: Adriana Leon goal earns narrow win

Aston Villa earned a narrow victory over fellow strugglers Brighton to distance themselves from the Women’s Super League relegation fight.

It was a deserved breakthrough for Carla Ward’s superior side, who finish for the winter break four points above the bottom two sides West Ham and Bristol City after leapfrogging Brighton into ninth place.

Villa offered by far the greater threat throughout, but Kenza Dali hit the top of the crossbar with an attempt from outside the box and Leon’s finish was disallowed for offside in the first half.

Rachel Daly’s acrobatic overhead kick was comfortable for Baggaley, who also denied Jordan Nobbs, while Rachel Corsie headed over as the hosts continued to find themselves frustrated in their attempts to end Brighton’s resistance.

They were almost punished when Elisabeth Terland hit the woodwork shortly before the interval, but it took until the 78th minute for the 22-year-old to land her side’s first shot on target.

Villa were forced to play out the closing stages with 10 players after Mayumi Pacheco received two yellow cards in the final 10 minutes – but Leon’s excellent solo goal proved enough to seal three significant points.

More to follow.