Delighted boss hails match-winner following Aston Villa fightback
Delighted boss Natalia Arroyo saluted Kirsty Hanson after her superb strike earned Villa victory over Brighton and a winning start to 2026.
Hanson thumped home from just outside the box to complete the turnaround as Villa came from a goal down to beat the Seagulls 2-1 on Sunday and move above their visitors up to sixth in the Women’s Super League.
An error by goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo gifted Brighton’s Fuka Tsunoda an 11th minute opener, with Villa skipper Rachel Daly then twice thwarted by the woodwork as she first hit the bar and then the post in quick succession.
But Daly eventually drew Villa level when she headed home Lucia Kendall’s 57th minute free-kick and within two minutes Hanson had bagged the winner, firing into the top corner for her sixth goal of the season.
“What a hit,” said Arroyo. “We certainly started the year with no boring goals.
“I was very happy with Rachel’s goal, after hitting twice the woodwork in the first half.
“But the momentum of the goal from Kirsty was really good for us. It is good to keep players in form.”
Arroyo thanked her coaching staff for their advice after opting to not make changes following a disappointing first half.
The win, which was just Villa’s second at home in the league this season, has them well placed to challenge for a top half finish over the second half of the campaign.
Arroyo continued: “We want to enjoy winning at home and turning the draws we were having into victories.
“We need to fight for it. So we were happy with the win.
“I thought we deserved more from the first half, though we did not play at the level we want.
“But we were able to show more energy, passion and desire in the second half and that is the reason we were able to turn the result.”
She continued: “The only way to catch teams is to win this type of game.
“In the big analysis, I feel we are competing against the top teams.
“If we can take points against them and then win the matches we have against direct opponents - and Brighton is definitely one of those - we will be able to create more things.
“Our next challenge is to win with more consistency against the teams around the bottom of the table. Our ambition is to be higher and higher.”
