A spicy clash between Brighton and Aston Villa, with a red card and penalty each, saw the Seagulls emerge victors 4-2.
Despite Rachel Daly’s brace, Nikita Parris’ first league goal for the Seagulls and a red card to Villa defender Paula Tomas in the 78th minute helped Brighton see off Villa.
Tomas controversially saw a straight red for elbowing Kiko Seiko in the box, giving away a penalty in the process, which Fran Kirby converted with 10 minutes to play.
Brighton’s penalty occurred 20 minutes after Villa scored their own spot-kick through Daly’s second of the match.
A stoppage-time red card for Pattinson didn’t stop loanee and substitute Michelle Agyemang sealing the game with her first goal for the club.
The game was energetic from the first 15 minutes, as Kirsty Hanson’s driving run on the left flank was then cut back and met by Daly, finishing in the 13th minute.
Brighton equalised under 2 minutes later, as Parris met Poppy Pattinson’s centred volley to score on her full-league Seagulls debut.
Embed from Getty ImagesBrighton then took the lead before half-time, courtesy of Pauline Bremer, who tidily slot her shot across goal thanks to a Parris through-ball.
The result means Villa have suffered their first loss to Brighton since May 2022, and remain winless in the league since Robert de Pauw took charge in June.
Although Jordan Nobbs broke the record as outright all-time leader for WSL appearances (193), the result means it would not be a match to look back on fondly.
