'Hard to take' - Alisha Lehmann shares honest thoughts on Aston Villa's disappointing WSL loss against Everton

Villa went in to the game high on confidence after a four-match winning streak in all competitions, which included a 7-0 rout of Blackburn Rovers in the FA WSL Cup. Lehmann scored a brace in that contest but found herself back on the bench against Everton, who earned a 2-1 win at Villa Park thanks to an own goal from Anna Patten and a 74th minute penalty from Nathalie Bjorn.

Lehmann came on as a substitute just after the hour mark but ultimately failed to make a meaningful impact as Villa slumped to their sixth loss in eight games at the start of the 2023-24 WSL campaign. The 24-year-old reacted to Villa's latest setback on her Instagram stories, and issued a rallying cry to her team-mates. "Hard to take. But we keep going and stick together," Lehmann wrote.

Villa scored 14 goals during their recent four-match winning run, and created plenty of chances once again on Sunday afternoon. The home side managed 14 shots to Everton's eight and had double the amount on target compared to their opponents, but they lacked the clinical edge to pick up a positive result. England international Rachel Daly did get Villa back into the game in the 55th minute as she smartly turned a Kirsty Hanson cross into the net at the near post, but it proved to be nothing more than a consolation goal.

Villa will now have the chance to regroup as the international break comes into effect. Lehmann will hope to be back in the starting XI when Villa return to club action on December 9, with a tough trip to high-flying Manchester City on the cards for Carla Ward's struggling team.