Daly’s double gives Villa the perfect start

MANCHESTER CITY suffered an opening-day defeat at ASTON VILLA to increase the pressure on boss Gareth Taylor. There is concern around the blue half of Manchester after losing key players in the summer and their performance at Villa did little to quell those anxieties. Alisha Lehmann gave the hosts the lead with a composed finish after City had given the ball away on the edge of their box. Things got worse for the visitors when they failed to clear a corner and new Villa signing Rachel Daly volleyed in for 2-0. After a poor start City rallied before half-time when Laura Coombs pulled a goal back from the edge of the box.

The momentum shifted in the visitors’ favour as Khadija Shaw drew City level in the 53rd minute before Coombs netted again to put the away side in front for the first time. But Villa produced their own comeback as Kenza Dali made it 3-3 minutes later after pouncing on a poor pass from Steph Houghton. Daly then grabbed the winner with a tap-in in the 76th minute to complete a perfect debut and a huge win for Carla Ward’s side. A wonder strike from Ashleigh Neville set TOTTENHAM on their way to a 2-1 victory over LEICESTER. The defender hit a 40-yard strike into the top corner and Drew Spence doubled Spurs’ lead before half-time. Spence then scored at the other end to give the Foxes a route back into the game but they were unable to find an equaliser. Paul Konchesky won the battle of the new managers as his WEST HAM side beat Brian Sorensen’s EVERTON. Lisa Evans scored the only goal when she headed in from a corner just before half-time.