Aston Villa Women moved to fifth in the Women's Super League after destroying Brighton Women 6-2. It was a stunning performance from the Midlands' side, with a hat trick from Jordan Nobbs capping off the result.
Brighton Women took an early lead at the Broadfield Stadium. Julia Zigiotti Olme guided a low header into the corner. However, the hosts lead was short-lived.
Lucy Staniforth equalised for the Villans, with a distinctly similar goal to the opener. Shortly after, Aston Villa scored another two through Kirsty Hanson and Nobbs to complete a sensational eight minute rout.
They were not finished there though. Rachel Daly made it 4-1 in the first half after superb passing movement from Hanson and Kenza Dali. Nobbs then extended their lead at the end of the half, to put the Villans 5-1 up after 45 minutes.
In the second half, Brighton pulled one back early on through Danielle Carter's penalty, despite the challenge happening outside the box. Villa restored their four goal lead in the 69th minute, as Nobbs completed her hat trick with a stunning effort.
Brighton now sit just two points above the relegation zone, after Leicester beat Liverpool on Sunday. It leaves them in a precarious position in the table. Meanwhile, Aston Villa are looking upwards in the league. They now sit fifth, six points behind Arsenal in fourth.
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Story of the match
The two sides played each other just last weekend, as they drew 1-1 in the Midlands. Playing each other in quick succession created an interesting tactical battle between the two teams.
Brighton made three changes from their last match, with Veatriki Sarri, Emma Kullberg and Lydia Williams coming in. Meanwhile, Aston Villa were unchanged from their previous encounter.
The hosts took an early lead through captain Olme. Sarri whipped in an inviting ball from a corner. An unmarked Olme had time and space to guide a low header into the bottom corner. It was the perfect start for Brighton, who were winless at home since September before the match.
It was a strong start from the Seagulls, who controlled the opening ten minutes. However, the visitors began to grow into the match and quickly found the equaliser.
Villans' sensational eight minute comeback
In a carbon copy of Brighton's goal, the equaliser came from a corner. Dali whipped in a teasing ball into the box, which Staniforth latched onto and guided a looping header into the net.
However, the Villans were not finished there. Just a minute after equalising, the visitors took the lead through Hanson. Neat build up play between Nobbs and Dali saw the Frenchman create space on the edge of the box. The 31-year-old whipped in a powerful cross across goal, which Hanson guided towards the net.
The goal took the Manchester United loanee's tally to three for the season. Aston Villa continued their sensational first half comeback six minutes later. The visitors doubled their lead through Nobbs.
Hanson drove down the left flank, before playing a low cross into the box. The Arsenal legend was unmarked in the box, and powered her shot past Williams. In the space of eight minutes, the visitors had overturned a 1-0 loss into a 3-1 lead.
In search of a goal, Brighton tested Hannah Hampton from distance several times, but the goalkeeper stayed firm in goal.
Brighton's hopes of a comeback all but ended in the 36th minute. Dali played a perfectly weighted through-ball into Hanson's pass. The Scotland international was one on one with Williams, but chose to square it to Daly, who tapped it into an empty net to make it 4-1.
The match turned into dreamland for Aston Villa at the end of the first half. Nobbs got her second goal of the match as she latched onto a looping through-ball over the top of the defence. The English midfielder had just the goalkeeper to beat, and comfortably placed it past Williams.
In the second half, the hosts brought on Kayleigh Green and Danielle Carter for Katie Robinson and Sarri retrospectively. Just minutes into the half, Brighton won a penalty.
Geum-Min Lee was brought down in the box, but, after later inspection, the challenge seemed to happen just outside the area. Despite Villa's complaints, Carter stepped up for the Seagulls and placed it into the bottom left corner to make an immediate impact off the bench.
Despite an early setback, Aston Villa continued to control the game in the second half. Brighton put up firmer resistance than the first 45 minutes, but they were still unable to mount a significant comeback.
The visitors restored their four goal lead with 20 minutes remaining. Nobbs completed her hat trick with a sensational effort from long range. The midfielder noticed Williams off her line, before firing a powerful effort into the top right corner. It was an unstoppable effort, which epitomised her overall performance.
After the visitor's sixth goal, the match petered towards its conclusion. Brighton continued to push for another goal in an attempt to improve their goal difference, but they failed in their pursuit. Aston Villa manager Carla Ward was delighted with her side's performance, as they ran riot in Crawley.
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Player of the match
It could have been given to any of Aston Villa's attackers, but Jordan Nobbs stood out from the rest. The midfielder scored her first goals in claret and blue against Brighton since joining in January.
She combined brilliantly with Hanson, Daly and Alisha Lehmann, which helped lead their side to victory. Despite playing just her fourth match for the Villans, it is clear she has already built some chemistry with her teammates.
Her hat trick helped Aston Villa cruise to victory, whilst her final goal will be a contender for goal of the season. Nobbs made the move to the Midlands to get back into the England team. On Saturday, she was recalled to the national team, and performances like this will make her hard to drop.