Arsenal vs Aston Villa LIVE: WSL score, stats & updates

Arsenal knows only too well how these opponents can be a banana skin. Last season, their title hopes were brought to a shiver by a 5-2 defeat at Villa Park – Chelsea won the league later the same evening.

It was therefore not a surprise, the manager Renee Slegers started this game with a ruthless state of mind in order to avoid removal points again.

Slegers has brought two attacker changes in response to the white of the Sports Leigh village the last time, dropping Stina Blackstenius and Caitlin Foord on the bench.

Mead came for his 150th WSL appearance, with Maanum, and it was she who jumped on early defensive error.

But Arsenal failed to maintain its early control, and after a single effort on Target throughout the match against Manchester United, they were again shy for the majority of the second period on Saturday.

These are the beautiful margins at the top of the WSL, it was important that Arsenal returned to victory after their dull draw in Leigh Sports Village, and in a reigning race against Chelsea, two games without victory could be very damaging.