Aston Villa
Manchester City Women Player Ratings vs. Aston Villa: Bunny Shaw’s Historic Quadruple Takes Her Past Century Mark
Khadija “Bunny” Shaw became the 10th player in Manchester City Women’s history to reach 100 goals for the club, marking the milestone with a sensational four-goal haul in Sunday’s 6-1 demolition of Aston Villa.
The Jamaican netted her 100th and 101st within minutes before completing her quadruple after the break, taking her tally to 103 goals in just 120 appearances.
Vivianne Miedema delivered a masterclass performance, recording assists for Shaw and Aoba Fujino before capping her display with a goal of her own.
Goalkeeper & Defence
Ayaka Yamashita – 5/10 Nearly gifted Villa a goal with a careless pass to Yui Hasegawa in midfield. The Japan international looked nervy with the ball at her feet despite Villa’s limited attacking threat.
Kerstin Casparij – 7/10 On her 100th appearance for City, the Netherlands right-back was a constant threat going forward. Forced a good save from Sabrina D’Angelo after the break and linked well with Fujino down the right flank.
Jade Rose – 6/10 Made an important block late on to deny Rachel Daly what would have been a consolation goal. Solid enough defensively without being tested regularly.
Rebecca Knaak – 5/10 Fresh from signing a new two-year contract extension in midweek, the centre-back picked up a booking for a mistimed tackle on Daly. Not her sharpest performance.
Leila Ouahabi – 5/10 Lost her individual battle against Villa’s impressive wing-back Chasity Grant, who caused problems throughout. Struggled defensively when Villa pressed high.
Midfield & Attack
Laura Blindkilde Brown – 6/10 Neat and tidy in possession, keeping things simple in the middle of the park. Supplied City’s forwards adequately but didn’t stamp her authority on proceedings.
Yui Hasegawa – 7/10 Played a crucial role in Shaw’s second goal, winning possession in midfield before setting the Jamaican on her way. Her energy in the centre was vital to City’s control.
Aoba Fujino – 8/10 One of City’s best performers this season continued her excellent form. Lively down the right-hand side all afternoon before netting the third with a superb finish past D’Angelo. Also provided the assist for Miedema’s goal.
Vivianne Miedema – 9/10 Displaying plenty of guile between the lines, the WSL’s all-time top scorer showcased her complete game. Recorded assists for Shaw and Fujino with perfectly weighted passes before tapping home herself. Her movement and vision were exceptional throughout.
Lauren Hemp – 7/10 The scourge of Villa, having previously scored seven WSL goals against them. Recorded the pre-assist in the build-up to Shaw’s opener and caused constant problems with her direct running.
Khadija Shaw – 10/10 Simply remarkable inside the penalty area. Reached and surpassed a century of City goals with a performance that showcased exactly why she’s the WSL’s most lethal finisher. Her 100th came from Miedema’s cross, her 101st from a trademark cut inside, and she added two more after the break. Now has 12 WSL goals in just 11 games this season.
Subs & Manager
Alex Greenwood (6/10): Returned to the City fold for the first time since October following her injury layoff. The captain helped see out the victory and provided valuable leadership from the bench.
Grace Clinton (6/10): Replaced Laura Blindkilde Brown after the hour mark and thought she’d scored City’s sixth, but it deflected in off Shaw for the striker’s fourth.
Kerolin (5/10): A second-half substitute who replaced Hemp but was unable to make an impact on the match.
Andree Jeglertz (8/10): His half-time team talk proved spot on after Villa showed spirit in the opening 45 minutes. City were ruthless in the second half, demonstrating the clinical edge expected of title winners.
Also read: Chelsea Women Player Ratings vs. Everton: Sonia Bompastor’s Unbeaten Record Shattered as Toffees End Historic 34-Game WSL Streak
Liverpool Women host Aston Villa at St. Helens Stadium on Sunday in a match that could seal their fate as relegation candidates. The Reds sit at the bottom of the WSL table with just 7 points from 14 matches, while Villa occupy 8th with 16 points after suffering a late 2-1 defeat to Everton last weekend.
Gareth Taylor’s side are running out of time to save their season with just nine games remaining. The 3-1 loss to Manchester United exposed glaring defensive frailties that have plagued Liverpool all campaign, and Villa will fancy their chances of collecting three crucial points away from home.
Kick-off: 12:00 GMT, Sunday, February 8, 2026
Venue: St Helens Stadium, St Helens
TV: Sky Sports
Taylor’s Honeymoon Period Emphatically Over
The former Manchester City coach has endured a nightmare start to life at Liverpool, winning just once in the league this season against Tottenham on January 25th. That solitary victory briefly offered hope before reality crashed back down at Old Trafford last weekend.
Martha Thomas, Denise O’Sullivan, and Alice Bergstrom have provided attacking quality since arriving in January, but the Reds continue shipping goals at an alarming rate. Liverpool have conceded 24 goals already, giving them the joint worst defensive record alongside West Ham.
Villa Struggling for Consistency
Aston Villa threw away a winning position against Everton after Ebony Salmon’s early opener, eventually succumbing to Martina Fernandez’s late strike. Natalia Arroyo’s side remains frustratingly inconsistent despite flashes of quality throughout the season.
The Villans beat Brighton 2-1 before the Everton loss, but were thrashed 4-1 by Manchester United the week prior. Villa needs to string together consecutive wins if they harbour any ambitions of climbing back towards mid table.
Predicted Lineups:
Liverpool (4-1-4-1): Falk; Shimizu, Clark, Fisk, Bernabe; Nagano; Bergstrom, O’Sullivan, Kapocs, Holland; Thomas
Aston Villa (3-4-2-1): Roebuck; Blinkilde, Mayling, Pacheco; Mullett, Dali, Blindkilde, Deslandes; Salmon, Lehmann; Daly
Leicester City Women host Manchester United at the King Power Stadium on Sunday as both sides look to strengthen their positions in the WSL table. The Foxes sit ninth with 12 points from 14 matches, while United occupy fifth place with 27 points, just one point behind third placed Arsenal in the race for automatic Champions League qualification.
Marc Skinner’s side comes into this match full of confidence after reaching the Women’s League Cup final with a 1-0 victory over Arsenal. However, they then suffered a setback with a 4-1 defeat at Aston Villa, meaning United desperately need three points to keep pace with the top three. Leicester have been transformed under Rick Passmoor and will fancy their chances of causing an upset.
Kick-off: 14:00 GMT, Saturday, 7 February 2026
Venue: King Power Stadium, Leicester
TV: Sky Sports and WSL YouTube
United Must Bounce Back From Villa Hammering
Manchester United’s 4-1 defeat at Aston Villa was a shocking result that exposed defensive frailties Skinner thought he had solved. Ella Toone remains out until March with a hip injury, robbing United of their most creative midfielder during a crucial period in the season.
Fridolina Rolfo should return after missing the Villa match, while Gabby George and Leah Galton remain sidelined. Elisabeth Terland has struggled for form recently despite scoring against Villa, netting just two goals since her flying start to the campaign. Ellen Wangerheim could feature after impressing in recent weeks.
Lehmann Arrival Transforms Leicester Attack
Leicester have been revitalized since Rick Passmoor took charge, steadying the ship after a difficult start to the season. The January signing of Alisha Lehmann from FC Como represents a major coup for the Foxes, bringing WSL experience and proven quality from her time with West Ham, Everton and Aston Villa.
Rachel Williams, signed from Tottenha,m provides another attacking threat alongside Jutta Rantala. This is a genuinely dangerous Leicester side capable of punishing any complacency from United, who cannot afford another slip up in their top three pursuit.
Predicted Lineups
Leicester (4-2-3-1): Leitzig; Nevin, Howard, Pacheco, Goodwin; Cain, Whelan; Lehmann, Tierney, Chan; Williams
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Tullis-Joyce; Lundkvist, Le Tissier, Janssen, Sandberg; Miyazawa, Naalsund; Malard, Terland, Rolfo; Schuller
Also read: Arsenal WFC vs. Leicester City WFC: Predicted Lineups + Match Preview
Manchester United Women travel to Villa Park on Sunday morning looking to build momentum after reaching their first ever Women’s League Cup final.
The Red Devils beat Arsenal 1-0 in Wednesday’s semi final through Elisabeth Terland’s strike, and Marc Skinner will demand his side carry that confidence into the WSL.
United sit fifth in the standings, just four points behind third placed Arsenal who occupy the last Champions League qualification spot. Aston Villa won the corresponding fixture 1-0 earlier this season and have won their last two games at Villa Park, making this a genuinely tricky assignment.
Kick-off: 11:55 GMT, Sunday, January 26, 2026
Venue: Villa Park, Birmingham
TV: Sky Sports+ app (UK)
Injury Crisis Continues for Skinner
United will be without Fridolina Rolfo, Gabby George, Leah Galton and Ella Toone once again. Skinner confirmed the quartet remain sidelined, though Rolfo is training and could return soon. “Hopefully Frido and Gabby are close and then a little bit longer for Leah and Tooney. Apart from that, everyone else is available,” he said.
Ellen Wangerheim could make her WSL debut after starting Wednesday’s cup semi final. This would be an exciting development for United fans desperate to see what the Swedish forward can do in the league.
Villa Missing Key Duo
Aston Villa will be without captain Rachel Daly and forward Chasity Grant through injury, which significantly weakens their attacking threat. However, they have strengthened in January by signing Chelsea midfielder Oriane Jean-Francois and American fullback Jenna Nighswonger on loan from Arsenal.
Predicted Lineups:
Aston Villa (4-3-3): Leat; Corsie, Turner, Patten, Mayling; Nobbs, Leon, Taylor; Hanson, Daly, Salmon
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Tullis-Joyce; Lundkvist, Le Tissier, Janssen, Sandberg; Miyazawa, Naalsund; Malard, Terland, Awujo; Schuller
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