Leicester City got off the bottom of the Barclays FA Women’s Super League at the expense of Birmingham City whom they beat 2-0.
FA WSL
Manchester United 5-0 Aston Villa (Att: 1,001)
Leicester City 2-0 Birmingham City
Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Everton
Other matches postponed due to Covid
First ever top flight win for Foxes
Leicester City moved off the foot of the table with a 2-0 victory over Birmingham City at the King Power Stadium.
Sophie Howard fired a first-time effort from the corner of the box inside Marie Hourihan’s far post to give Leicester an 18th-minute lead.
It should have been 2-0 with Natasha Flint through on goal but she tried to set up Jess Sigsworth who was unable to direct it on target.
Foxes keeper was caught outside her box for the second time but Jade Pennock’s shot only landed on the roof of the net.
A Louise Quinn header again ended with the ball on the roof of the Foxes’ net, Christie Murray got on briefly but had her shot charged down.
Although Birmingham forced plenty of corners, it was from a Molly Pike flag-kick that Sam Tierney’s powerful 74th-minute header could not be kept out by Hourihan.
The visiting keeper did well to prevent Sigsworth from scoring a late third on the counter attack
Spurs stay third into new year
Tottenham edged Everton 1-0 with a Jessica Naz goal to go into 2022 sitting third in the WSL.
A Toni Duggan cross threatened to go straight in but Tinja-Rikka Korpela tipped it over the bar, at the other end Courtney Brosnan made a save from Naz.
Korpela dived full length to deny Grace Clinton, Rachel Williams went very close with a header from a Spurs’ free kick.
Naz broke the deadlock six minutes into the second half, running at the defence and curling the ball past the keeper.
Anna Anvegard hit the post as Everton went for an equaliser but their hopes were not helped by later losing Izzy Christiansen to injury.
Man Utd put five past Villa to go fourth
Manchester United end 2021 in fourth place after sending Aston Villa to a 5-0 defeat.
The Reds were two up in the first quarter of the game, Ella Toone finishing from a pass by Vilde Bøe Risa and then Katie Zelem converting a penalty following Hannah Hampton bringing down Hayley Ladd.
Alessia Russo would have added a third around the half-hour but for a superb goal-line clearance by Max Pacheco.
It was 3-0 within five minutes of the restart, Villa losing possession on the edge of the box and Lucy Staniforth curling the ball home while under pressure.
A strong run by Kirsty Hanson set up a simple header by Martha Thomas to make it 4-0, Toone fired in her second after an attempted clearance came into her path.
