Brighton maintained their impressive start to the Women's Super League season under new head coach Dario Vidosic, securing a thrilling 4-2 victory over Aston Villa in a match marred by controversy. The decisive moment came when Paula Tomás was controversially sent off, leaving Villa to play the final stages with ten players.
The match was evenly poised at 2-2, with Rachel Daly scoring twice for Villa, while Brighton's Nikita Parris and Pauline Bremer responded with close-range finishes. A late penalty was awarded to Brighton after Tomás was judged to have blocked Kiko Seike's run in the box. Villa's players reacted with shock and dismay as the Spain left-back was shown a straight red card.
Despite Villa's protests, Fran Kirby confidently converted the penalty, giving Brighton six points from a possible nine this season. Brighton's Poppy Pattinson was also sent off for a second yellow card in stoppage time, but Michelle Agyemang sealed the win with a clinical finish, making it 4-2.
The result leaves Robert de Pauw without a league victory from his first three WSL matches as Villa's head coach. However, he will be encouraged by his side's creative play and attractive attacking football, following a narrow loss to champions Chelsea and a 2-2 draw with Tottenham.
