Leicester City 1-2 Aston Villa

Alisha Lehmann scored in stoppage time as Aston Villa Women won 2-1 against Leicester City on Sunday.

The winger struck in the 93^rd minute to cue dramatic scenes at the Pirelli Stadium as Villa pulled away from the Foxes in the league table.

Villa had taken the lead in the first half when Gemma Purfield turned a corner into her own net, before Hannah Hampton did the same 15 minutes from time.

But Lehmann had the final say as she slotted home from inside the area to give her side maximum points.

Villa started the brighter of the two sides and took the lead inside four minutes as a Maz Pacheco corner was directed into the goal innocuously off Purfield.

Villa continued to work hard on and off the ball and looked threatening down the right-hand side with Sarah Mayling and Lehmann.

Laura Blindkilde Brown fashioned a good opportunity to double Villa’s lead but saw her long-range effort go straight at Demi Lambourne following a slaloming run.

Remi Allen then poked wide from close range moments later as Villa desperately hunted some breathing space.

Villa almost got the second goal they desired on the stroke of half-time, but a Mayling corner just evaded the head of Anna Patten with the goal at the mercy of the centre-half.

Leicester, having gone into the break a goal down, came out of half-time with more urgency and tested Hampton on several occasions.

First, Natasha Flint dragged an effort wide with a clear view of the goal.

Hampton then flung to her left to keep out another shot from the edge of the area minutes later, before reacting quickly to thwart the follow-up attempt.

Villa had a shout for a penalty at the other end but those claims were waved away emphatically by the referee.

Leicester did equalize late on in eerily similar circumstances to which Villa took the lead.

Purfield, from the same spot that Pacheco’s first-half delivery came from, swung in a corner that was deemed to have taken a touch off Hampton before crossing the goal-line.

The game looked to have been destined to a draw, and a frustrating one at that, but Villa would have one more chance as Blindkilde Brown drove forward with the ball.

The teenager was momentarily dispossessed near the edge of the Leicester area, but the loose ball broke to Lehmann who calmly dispatched her effort beyond Lambourne.

Jubilant scenes ensued inside the Pirelli after a result that can kick Villa into gear heading into the rest of the campaign.