Alisha Lehmann on fire! Aston Villa star sports new hairstyle and scores brace as Villans thrash Blackburn in FA Women's League Cup

The Swiss star took to the field at the Bescot Stadium with hair unusually styled in plaits. The forward and her Villa team-mates were soon tying the Blackburn defence in knots, as they hit seven with Lehmann notching a goal in each half.

A thrilled Lehmann recorded a short video for Aston Villa's social media after the game expressing her delight at a good night's work. She said: "Hi guys, what a win today, we scored seven goals, I'm really happy to have scored as well. And yeah –– Up The Villa!"

Lehmann has become a wildly-popular figure on and off the pitch since arriving at Villa in the summer of 2021. The former West Ham and Everton star has a remarkable 16 million Instagram followers, but has shown her down-to-earth side when interacting with fans and drew praise for her recent gesture to a disabled supporter before a WSL fixture.

With team-mates and followers declaring themselves fans of the new hairstyle, all eyes will be on whether the plaits stay or go when Villa host Everton in the WSL on Sunday afternoon.