Natalia Arroyo asked for the Aston Villa Women to keep pushing and not become complacent after the last win against Arsenal. Knowing that the WSL match against West Ham would be something of an opportunity to see how well this AVWFC team can be and how much they've improved, the Spaniard wanted to ensure that her players kept their foot on the pedal as they look to close the WSL season on a high note.
In a first half that saw plenty of action in the opening 45 minutes, it really illustrated how competitive the WSL is. It was the visitors who opened up the scoreline after Rachel Daly placed a perfectly weighted ball into the path of Ebony Salmon. The striker link-up resulted in a 1-0 lead within the first five minutes of the fixture.
Showing that they were taking Arroyo's words to heart, moments later Lucy Parker could be seen running down the right-hand side, crossing the ball in the hopes of looking for Daly's head for a second. While that effort ended up resulting in a corner, the attack continued, particularly in the midfield, to show how much quality Villa have. It was, however, the hosts who scored consecutive goals and led at one point.
Using her savviness, Daly picked off a pass among the Hammers' backline and provided her second AVWFC goal in consecutive matches. Though she will undoubtedly refuse to be satisfied, as a game-winner today would mean even more for her.
Continued push by Aston Villa Women
This first half should show two things. Villa can play well and match up with anyone in the league. If they take a moment and ease their focus and intensity, however, the WSL has too much talent to not be punished for a mistake.
Arroyo does have a number of strong options on the bench to potentially turn to if needed. As is, it was an overall good showing and should further prove that their current form is far from a one-off but instead shows that Villa will continue to be good under the new boss.