Chelsea go top of WSL after Aston Villa win as goalkeeper sent off after just 10 minutes
Chelsea have overtaken Manchester City in the Women's Super League standings following a comfortable 3-0 victory over Aston Villa at home. The match saw Villa reduced to 10 players for almost the entire game after goalkeeper Anna Leat was sent off.
Emma Hayes' team edged above Manchester City to claim the top spot with four games remaining, thanks to goals from Aggie Beever-Jones, Maika Hamano and Kadeisha Buchanan. They capitalised on Villa's early setback, which turned the tide of the game.
The pivotal moment came when Leat was shown the red card for handling outside the box in a desperate bid to stop Sjoeke Nusken's shot from finding the net.
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Leat, a New Zealand international, was filling in for injured first-choice keeper Daphne van Domselaar, leading to an unexpected debut for Carla Ward's third-choice goalie, 17-year-old Sophia Poor.
For Hayes' squad, it was a dominant win that saw them narrowly regain their position at the top of the table. They now lead City by two goals, and Hayes' decision to make seven changes from the team that lost to Manchester United in Sunday's FA Cup semi-final proved to be the right call.
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