Aston Villa Stuns Man City in WSL Upset: Gabi Nunes' First Goal Propels Villa to Victory

Manchester City Women were looking to continue their dominant start to the season with a seventh consecutive victory in all competitions when they hosted Aston Villa Women on Saturday. However, the Villans were in no mood for a comfortable afternoon, as they secured a 1-0 victory thanks to a first-half goal from their summer signing, Gabi Nunes.

The Cityzens are currently top of the Barclays Women’s Super League table while they also have maximum points on the board from their two UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage matches.

It has been a good start to the season for Manchester City and head coach Taylor wants to complete the opening block of matches with victory over Aston Villa.

“Of course, it’s been a good start, there’s no doubt about that,” Taylor said when speaking in the pre-match press conference. “We set the seeds in pre-season and from our review of last season in terms of what we wanted to do as a team moving forward and we were able to execute a really strong start to the season. We probably couldn’t have got much more of a difficult start if I’m honest but the way that the girls have handled it has been spot on.

“We are slowly getting into our rhythm and it has been great having the number of games that we’ve had. We are taking on a competition that we’ve not been in for a few years. The players are excited about dipping from a WSL game into a Champions League game then back into the WSL.

“We have a tough opponent on Sunday who I think are not getting the rewards in terms of points from their performances so far. They are trying to do some different things which is impressive and they have very experienced and recognised WSL players. It’s a tough game but we are pleased to be back in The Joie Stadium in-front of our fans. We are looking to finish [this block] with a strong performance, strong result then we can review and say it was an excellent start.”

Going on to discuss latest opponents Aston Villa in more detail, Taylor highlighted a couple of dangerous players that his side will need to be mindful of.

He said “They have quality at the top end of the pitch, in the midfield areas as well. Obviously, [Rachel] Daly and [Kenza] Dali are good players. They have pace in their team and they have good options in the back-line as well.

“They’re changing things slightly. They try to overload midfields a bit more this season than they have done previously. When they have a player like Daly, she’s always difficult to play against in the counter-attacks.

“Their performances from the football [they’ve played] and the players that they have is probably not shown in their points tally so far. We don’t underestimate any team, particularly this one.”

Manchester City’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against Aston Villa kicks-off at 12.15pm on Sunday afternoon. Tickets remain on-sale and can be purchased by clicking here.

The game, which was played in front of a packed Joie Stadium, saw City dominate possession early on but struggle to break down a stubborn Villa defense. However, the visitors struck against the run of play in the 22nd minute when Nunes cleverly finished off a well-worked move.

Villa held onto their lead for the rest of the first half, and despite City's best efforts to equalize in the second, they couldn’t find a way past D’Angelo. The result was a huge upset for City, who had been in impressive form in recent weeks.

After the game, Villa manager Robert de Pauw spoke of his delight at securing his first win as manager. “It was a brilliant performance,” he said. “We were very disciplined and worked really hard. It’s great to get that first win, but we need to keep working hard and keep getting better.”

The win was Villa’s first of the season, and it moved them off the bottom of the WSL table. The loss for City, meanwhile, was their first of the season, and it ended their impressive run of form. The result is sure to be a talking point in the WSL this week, as Villa’s victory was a real statement of intent.

While it was a disappointing day for City, they will still be confident in their chances of winning the league. They are still top of the table, and they have a very strong squad. However, the loss to Villa will serve as a reminder that they can’t afford to take any team lightly in the WSL.

For Villa, this win was a huge boost to their confidence. They will be looking to build on this victory and challenge for a top-half finish in the league. It’s a long season, but this win will give them a lot of belief that they can achieve great things.

The WSL is becoming increasingly competitive, and this result shows that any team can beat any other team on their day. This was a game that nobody expected to be so one-sided, but the players on the pitch did not care about that. The result will have shaken up the league, and it’s sure to be a fascinating season.