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This video can not be played Daly and Hanson spark Villa comeback as they claim victory against Brighton At a glance Aston Villa come from behind with two goals in 92 seconds Fuka Tsunoda puts Brighton in front after Sabrina D'Angelo error Rachel Daly heads Villa level in second half Kirsty Hanson scores winner Aston Villa scored twice in two second-half minutes as they came from behind to beat Brighton in the Women's Super League. Rachel Daly headed Villa level and, 92 seconds later, top scorer Kirsty Hanson fired in from the edge of the penalty area. The visitors had been gifted the lead at Villa Park when goalkeeper Sabrina D'Angelo passed the ball straight to Brighton midfielder Fuka Tsunoda, who finished confidently on her first WSL start. That gave Brighton a deserved lead at the end of a first half in which they were largely on the front foot, with right-winger Kiko Seike a constant threat. However, Daly twice came close to equalising - first with a thumping header against the crossbar, then hitting a post with a side-foot volley from Hanson's cross at the end of swift counter-attack. Villa took the game to Brighton after the break and it was third time lucky for Daly as she got across the near post to glance Lucia Kendall's free-kick into the far corner. Before Brighton could respond, Natalia Arroyo's side were at them again, with Hanson collecting Miri Taylor's smart first-time pass just outside the penalty area and rifling a left-foot shot past Brighton keeper Sophie Baggaley. It took until the final 10 minutes for Brighton to put Villa under any real pressure in their search for an equaliser, but the closest they came was Madison Haley's header from Fran Kirby's deflected cross. Villa held on for a fourth league win of the season to move two points ahead of Brighton leaving Arroyo pleased with the response from her side to going a goal down. She said: "We had more chances than them and we could have scored goals but we were paying the consequences of a mistake. "It is about what you do after a mistake. We want to be brave, take this risk, the players were showing bravery in and out of possession and we were able to build three important points. " The first half of the season was one of frustration for both sides, with inconsistency preventing either team from pushing on to challenge the big four sides. This match offered a reasonable example of why, with Brighton struggling to create any chances of note despite a strong first-half showing before dropping off in the second. Meanwhile, Villa had the odd moment of encouragement in the first half without showing the intensity that ultimately won them the game early in the second. It is no surprise that two sides firmly stuck in mid-table are flawed, but with the talent both have in their squads, they are striving for better. A timely win after the winter break is just the boost Villa needed, especially following a heavy loss at Manchester City last time out, and the hope will be that it provides a springboard for the second half of the campaign. With Hanson maintaining her pre-Christmas form and Daly back among the goals after a slow start to the season, there is every reason to believe that Villa can, at the very least, find more consistency between now and May. "We are showing the capacity to grow in games. We needed the win because we were chasing them [Brighton] and now we are a little bit higher, " added Arroyo. "We needed to start [after the winter break] with this type of performance where we are not necessarily dominating all parts of the game but we are showing mentality and ability to suffer as well. " Attention turns to the FA Cup for both teams next weekend. Brighton host WSL2 side Nottingham Forest on 18 January (13: 00 GMT), while Villa travel to reigning European champions Arsenal for a 14: 00 kick-off. After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users. Head here to get involved Get the latest WSL news on our dedicated page Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Last Updated 11th January 2026 at 16: 21 Please Note: All times UK. Tables are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made. Manager: Natalia Arroyo Formation: 3 - 4 - 1 - 2 Manager: Dario Vidosic Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Natalia Arroyo Formation: 3 - 4 - 1 - 2 Manager: Dario Vidosic Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Women's Super League All competitions All competitions All competitions Match ends, Aston Villa Women 2, Brighton and Hove Albion Women 1. Second Half ends, Aston Villa Women 2, Brighton and Hove Albion Women 1. Corner, Brighton and Hove Albion Women. Conceded by Océane Deslandes. Substitution, Aston Villa Women. Lucy Staniforth replaces Lucia Kendall. Substitution, Aston Villa Women. Océane Deslandes replaces Rachel Maltby. Fourth official has announced 3 minutes of added time. Foul by Kiko Seike (Brighton and Hove Albion Women). Miri Taylor (Aston Villa Women) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Moeka Minami (Brighton and Hove Albion Women) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Ebony Salmon (Aston Villa Women). Substitution, Brighton and Hove Albion Women. Caitlin Hayes replaces Maisie Symonds. Attempt saved. Nadine Noordam (Brighton and Hove Albion Women) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal by Sabrina D'Angelo (Aston Villa Women). Assisted by Madison Haley. Madison Haley (Brighton and Hove Albion Women) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Noëlle Maritz (Aston Villa Women). Attempt missed. Manuela Vanegas (Brighton and Hove Albion Women) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Kiko Seike following a corner. Corner, Brighton and Hove Albion Women. Conceded by Lynn Wilms. Attempt blocked. Madison Haley (Brighton and Hove Albion Women) header from very close range is blocked. Attempt missed. Kiko Seike (Brighton and Hove Albion Women) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Manuela Vanegas with a cross. Offside, Aston Villa Women. Ebony Salmon is caught offside. Foul by Noëlle Maritz (Aston Villa Women). Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.