Reading 0-5 Aston Villa Women. Rachel Daly scores hat-trick!

Reading 0-5 Aston Villa Women. Rachel Daly scores hat-trick! by Michelle

Aston Villa’s Rachel Daly was in outstanding form, netting a superb hat-trick against Reading in the Women’s Super League on Sunday. The hosts Reading remain at the foot of the table after being soundly beaten on their home turf.

Daly opened the scoring in the 14th minute, taking advantage of being unmarked to convert Kirsty Hanson’s cross from the left. The England star then turned provider, setting up Alisha Lehmann to double Villa’s lead in the 42nd minute. Just two minutes later, Daly provided another assist, squaring the ball for Hanson to tap in.

Early in the second half, Daly added her second goal from a cut-back by Kenza Dali. She completed her hat-trick in the 63rd minute, running onto Mayumi Pacheco’s perfectly-weighted through ball. Daly’s three goals bring her tally to 20 for the season, placing her ahead of Manchester City’s Khadija Shaw in the race for the golden boot.

The win consolidates Aston Villa in fifth place, while Reading remains bottom of the league and two points adrift of safety with just two games remaining.

Reading, who have spent nine years in the WSL, are facing the possibility of being relegated to the Championship. Despite their difficult situation, their performance at home has helped them stay afloat in the relegation battle. However, their recent loss to Aston Villa, a team aiming to challenge the big four next season, will be a blow to their morale.

Michelle Maxwell

Follow JustWomensFootball on Twitter, covering Women’s World Cup, Champions League, WSL and international league news

Visit JustWomensFootball.com if you want to ready more about Women’s Football from around the world!