Aston Villa 0-1 Everton

Aston Villa Women lost 1-0 to Everton at Poundland Bescot Stadium on Saturday.

Lucy Graham scored the only goal of the game with 30 minutes to go.

The result leave Villa without a win in consecutive league games for the first time since May.

Carla Ward named an unchanged XI from the side that were defeated by West Ham United last weekend.

Everton enjoyed the majority of possession in the opening 10 minutes but the first chance of note fell Villa’s way.

Some good work from Kenza Dali on the edge of the area resulted in attacker playing the ball out wide to Kirsty Hanson the left.

The Scotland international played the ball across the box with her first touch, and the centre was met by Laura Blindkilde Brown who stabbed an effort wide.

Katrine Veje was next to register an attempt for the visitors, but her speculative strike was comfortably held by Anna Leat.

Alisha Lehmann, determined to bounce back from her penalty miss last time out, played proactively throughout the first half and almost produced an assist for Rachel Daly.

Her cross from the right was controlled impressively by the England international, who looked to tee herself up for a volley.

Daly, however, couldn’t quite find the contact required to trouble Courtney Brosnan in the Everton goal.

Lehmann was at it again moments later, setting up Dali who curled an effort just wide of the far post as Villa piled on pressure.

Half-time came and went with the teams locked level, but Everton drew first blood before the hour mark.

Lucy Graham met a cross at the back post to tap home and give the visiting side the lead.

For the third successive game, Villa had fallen behind.

Ward threw on Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah, Natasha Harding and Freya Gregory in the hopes of salvaging a draw.

Isobel Goodwin made her first appearance of the season too, coming on in stoppage time to replace the dazed Rachel Daly.

The intended spark never came to fruition, though, and Villa must go back to the drawing board ahead of a week which includes a trip to Chelsea.