Supersub Kirsty Hanson strikes again in 2nd straight WSL win | OneFootball

It was exactly what Natalia Arroyo asked for from her squad. Entering the day with a four-point gap between the Aston Villa Women and Crystal Palace, the 3-2 thriller at Tottenham now pushes the margin to seven points. With 16 points in the WSL standings, AVWFC could even look to potentially pass others ahead of them, a thought that would not have seemed like a remote possibility too long ago.

More importantly than the win, this Arroyo side is playing with confidence. Through possession and looking to play the right way, Villa are doing an excellent job of forcing the issue and asking questions of their opponents. Defensively, they are proving to be a difficult backline to break down, and the players do a good job of surrounding the opposition when they lose the ball.

Against Tottenham at Brisbane Road, Villa also showed an enhanced level of play since Arroyo has taken over. The team does a nice job of overlapping and giving freedom to players throughout the pitch. Teammates are doing well reading the situation and going wherever the space dictates, while also covering responsibilities as needed. Anna Patten is just as likely to join the attack as Mayumi Pacheco is to be seen on the right-hand side.

This added element will continue to give others trouble and is a good way to get a numbers advantage. Through the first half in particular, it was Villa who had more goal-scoring opportunities, and with this style of play, three may one day be seen as something of a low-scoring affair in future fixtures.

Speaking of joining the attack and celebrating her birthday, Patten did head one in. The initial free kick found the head of Rachel Daly, whose attempt rattled off the crossbar. The center-back did well to stick with it and outmuscle the Spurs defender for the early lead.

Daly continued her link-up play, as a flick then found its way into the path of Ebony Salmon in the second half. The attacking partner slalomed her way past the Tottenham opposition, and she doubled the AVWFC advantage.

Late-game heroics from Hanson seal win

The hosts made it a game, however, as they managed to tie things up. A scrum off a corner provided their first goal. Sabrina D'Angelo sought to meet a long ball outside of her box, and Ella Morris dribbled past the keeper to leave the score at 2-2. The Villa GK did a nice job throughout the day outside of that moment. Her lower-90 save was an excellent piece of goalkeeping. From that second Spurs goal, there was an ensuing long ball into the box that she commanded and took charge of.

Arroyo needed to turn to Kirsty Hanson once more. Brought on in the 71st minute, the Scotland international took the pass from Chasity Grant and managed to hold off two Tottenham defenders. Her left-footed shot was slotted past Lize Kop only moments into stoppage time, and the game-winner belonged to the substitute.

Palace will have a chance to make up the points, but they will face a top Chelsea team that is likely to play with something of a chip on their shoulder on Wednesday. Arroyo's side, meanwhile, is in a place where they won't need to keep too much of an eye on how they are doing, as they control their own destiny at this moment. Their next test will be against Arsenal the following Wednesday at Villa Park.