Sunderland Ladies 0-7 Aston Villa Women

Aston Villa Women won in emphatic fashion on Sunday afternoon, beating Sunderland 7-0 in the FA Women’s Continental League Cup.

Goals from Laura Blindkilde Brown, Ramona Petzelberger, Remi Allen (2), Alisha Lehmann (2) and Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah completed a dominant display in the North East.

The result gives Carla Ward’s side a chance of qualifying for the knockout stages when they host Blackburn Rovers in their final group game on the 15^th.

Ward made four changes from the side that suffered to Manchester City before the international break.

Sian Rogers stood between the sticks in place of Hannah Hampton, just as she did in our previous cup game against Sheffield United.

Blindkilde Brown, Ruesha Littlejohn and Emily Gielnik also entered the starting XI.

Notably, Sunday would be Gielnik’s first start since September having sustained a broken toe in the win over Brighton & Hove Albion.

It wouldn’t take long for Villa to get into their groove as they took the lead inside the first minute.

Blindkilde Brown combined well with Sarah Mayling on the right-hand side and sent a looping effort over the Sunderland ‘keeper.

Whether it was a cross or shot from the right may divide opinion, but the teenager won’t care as she bagged her first-ever senior goal.

Just a few minutes later, we doubled our lead.

Petzelberger slid home emphatically from the edge of the area to score her first of the season.

Villa spurned further chances to put the game to bed, with Lehmann and Blindkilde Brown misfiring from their respective efforts.

Our captain Allen did add a third before the break when she poked home from close range.

Villa started the second period just as quickly as they started the first, and Maz Pacheco almost bagged her first goal for the club on 51 minutes.

The left-back was marauding forward constantly and lifted a shot just past the far post after another powering run.

There was a slight lull in proceedings from there on in, as Villa allowed the second tier hosts some speculative efforts.

A late flurry of goals would well and truly put the tie to bed, however.

Lehmann got herself up and running in claret & blue when she scored a quickfire double, while Boye-Hlorkah got in on the act and Allen notched her second of the afternoon.

It was a professional display from start to finish, and with Villa approaching full health it looks to be an exciting few games ahead before the winter break.