Thank you for reading this MBM. A match report will follow shortly.

Stenevik pulled one back for the home side but it wasn’t enough to win a point:

Salmon leapt like a sardine to put Aston Villa 2-0 up:

Take a look at Dali’s opener:

Stenevik’s red card is one of the last actions of the game. Aston Villa were good value for the three points thanks to a flurry of chances at the start of the second half. Everton grew into the game late on after their goal, but they failed to create many clear-cut opportunities. A fair result in the end.

90 +6 min: A late challenge from the Everton goalscorer sees her sent off in the final stages of this game. She lunges in cynically, receiving a second yellow card.

90 +4 min: Absolutely not. Aston Villa win a foul deep in their own half.

90 +3 min: Everton win a free kick about 40 yards out. Will we see a repeat of Everton’s first goal?

90 min: Six minutes have been added at the end of this game. Expect six frantic minutes as Everton try to get something from this game.

86 min: Taylor ventures forward for Aston Villa through the middle. She finds some space on the edge of the box and shoots straight into Brosnan’s hands.

81 min: Leon and Dali have been the star players in this game. They both make way as Aston Villa try to manage the game. Georgia Mullett and Miri Taylor come on.

Well, that came out of nowhere. Everton win a free kick and send in a hopeful ball from about 40 yards out. Leat comes but doesn’t collect the ball and it’s headed into an empty net by Elise Stenevik. Game on!

79 min: Aston Villa have taken the sting out of the game by slowing the tempo. Everton are showing attacking intent but they’re still yet to really test Leat.

75 min: Everton have failed to change their approach to the game after falling behind. Statistics would tell us that things will stay this way as they have lost all the games they’ve trailed during this WSL campaign. Games aren’t won or lost by statistics though.

70 min: Both sides make substitutions. Eleanor Dale and Emma Bissell replace Piemonte and Lucy Hope for Everton. Simone Magill and Freya Gregory take the place of Mayumi Pacheco and goalscorer, Salmon, for Aston Villa.

66 min: Everton almost reply. Snoeijs skilfully nutmegs an Aston Villa defender on the left and whips an inviting ball into the area. It was begging for someone to get a touch on it but the ball flashes across the six-yard box.

62 min: Aston Villa have turned this game on its head. They were poor in the first half but suddenly they look full of life. Those two goals will surely force Everton to create some chances of their own.

Yes, it does! Dali wins a corner after some good work on the left hand side. The corner is whipped in from the left but it’s too deep for anyone to connect with it. Villa collect it on the right though and Jordan Nobbs plays a first time cross into Ebony Salmon, who finishes delightfully with a glancing header.

56 min: Does Dali’s goal mean this game will spark into life?

It’s a moment of brilliance from Kenza Dali. The French midfielder plays a neat one-two with Leon on the edge of the area before sending a low drive into the bottom left corner. It’s a clean strike that bounces in front of Brosnan, leaving the Everton keeper no chance.

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49 min: Everton have the first shot of the second half, by way of Snoeijs. She has a go from about 25 yards out but a wicked deflection takes the sting out of the shot. It’s easy for Leat to collect.

45 min: Everton get us back underway by hoofing the ball upfield. It’s an attacking start, I guess.

The two teams are making their way back to the pitch now. Will the half time team talks lead to a more free flowing game?

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In more exciting news, here’s a recap of the title race:

It’s been uneventful so far, with neither side really troubling the opposition keeper. Everton started brighter but their light faded as the half went on. On the contrary, Aston Villa started slowly before improving their build up play as we reached the break. It’s not exactly a classic at Walton Hall Park. Let’s hope both managers have some rousing words to spur their players into action in this second half.

45 +2 min: Rachel Daly has made her way back onto the field, much to the delight of Carla Ward.

45 min: There will be five minutes of additional time.

43 min: Rachel Daly has stayed down after a challenge with Katja Snoeijs. She appears to have injured her knee or ankle and looks in real discomfort here. Aston Villa can hardly afford to lose another player to injury.

42 min: There haven’t been many chances of note in this first half. Perhaps both sides are afraid to lose this must-win game.

39 min: Aston Villa are stringing some passes together at the back. They manage to progress with the ball and release Leon on the left. She tries to loft a ball towards the back post but it’s easily saved by Brosnan.

35 min: Leon has moved over from the right to the left for Aston Villa. The Canadian winger is the biggest threat to the home side. She’s the only player to really test Brosnan in this first half.

30 min: There’s a short break in play as Galli goes down with a head injury. She looks okay to soldier on after the physios offer her some treatment.

27 min: Aston Villa finally test the Everton keeper! Phew, I was getting worried they’d forgotten how to shoot. The ball is clipped over to Ebony Salmon on the right hand side. She races towards the byline and crosses a low ball into the box. Everton clear it only as far as Leon, who rifles a shot at Courtney Brosnan. It’s a powerful effort but it’s well saved.

22 min: Everton look like the hungrier side in this clash. Sørenson’s players are first to the loose balls and they are forcing Aston Villa into mistakes.

20 min: Aston Villa have also conceded a first half goal in each of their last four WSL games. Either way, we can expect goals in this game.

17 min: Aston Villa have started slowly. Things will pick up for them if their previous results are anything to go by though. They have scored a first half goal in each of their last three matches.

12 min: Neither side has been able to find their rhythm. Everton are probably edging it as they’ve shown the most intent going forward. Aurora Galli speculatively hits the ball from about 35 yards out. It’s deflected off of an Aston Villa defender and it’s out for the first corner of the game.

8 min: Everton have the first chance of the game! Bennison picks up the ball about 35 yards out. She is given space to dribble and takes the opportunity to fire a shot towards Leat’s left. It’s comfortably saved by the Aston Villa keeper though.

6 min: The home fans are making their presence felt. Their support seems to be making a difference as Everton are starting to get a foothold in this game with promising build up play.

3 min: Aston Villa are dictating the play in the opening stages of the game. So far they’ve managed to beat the Everton press and they are playing out from the back.

Aston Villa get this match underway, kicking from right to left.

It’s all to play for then. Kick is in less than 10 minutes.

Carla Ward said this in her Thursday morning press conference: “We were in a good place before that Liverpool game. That game and the first half, in particular, against Arsenal hurt us. We need to go there [Walton Hall Park] and get points back, and if we do we’re still in touching distance of that top six. If we don’t we’ll be looking down the barrel.”

16 Mar 202408.40 EDT

Suzanne Wrack

The 22-year-old played alongside Sjoeke Nüsken, who against Everton had played at centre-back, emphasising the scale of the problem, but James proved Hayes right: Stamford Bridge is James’s playground, she has scored eight times in six games at the ground and if there was illness or pressure it melted away. James scored the opener before the German’s double made it 3-0 with barely half an hour played.

“I thought she played with joy and played with freedom when the ball came to her feet,” said Hayes. “She can carry the weight of the crowd. She knows she’s an important player to the team. But I thought she put a shift in again out of possession and I know for the players behind they really appreciate that when it happens.”

Asked what she meant when she said she understands James, Hayes revealed what it is like to manage a young player with the talent and personality of James. “Most people in our environment tend to come to me to deal with Lauren,” said Hayes. “I do really well with maverick players. I look at the course of my career and I don’t know why but I just deal really well with that type of player.

“Can I relate to her as a Londoner? Maybe. We get along really well, we’re really close, I try to teach her all the time, little bits that are really valuable along the way.”

16 Mar 202408.40 EDT

Hayes grateful for 'maverick' James after huge WSL win for Chelsea

Suzanne Wrack

Emma Hayes gave an insight into what it’s like to coach “maverick” Lauren James on Friday night, after her electric performance at Stamford Bridge in Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat of Arsenal.

“It’s a playground for her out there,” said Hayes, gesturing towards the pitch. “We coach many, many ­different players. Lauren is a maverick. It’s not always perfect, it’s not always on point. It’s not always consistent in every element of her game. But I’ll tell you this much, I understand that person. And I know that when we get to Stamford Bridge, she will 1,000% perform for the team here.”

James was a doubt before a critical game for the title race played under the lights in front of more than 32,000 fans, having been unwell all week, but the needs of Chelsea were great, with the anterior cruciate ligament injuries of Sam Kerr and Mia Fishel, and Mayra Ramirez out for a further one to two weeks with a groin/adductor injury stretching their attacking options.
“She came on against Everton last week, she wasn’t very well. She was sick all through the week,” said Hayes. “She came out for one training session and I said: ‘Look, you’ve got to go up top.’”

While we wait for Everton v Aston Villa to get underway, here’s a recap of Lauren James’ sparkling display in Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge yesterday.

Brian Sørenson makes two changes from the starting XI that lost 2-1 to Manchester City in their last WSL game. Martina Piemonte and Megan Finnigan replace Heather Payne and Rikke Marie Madsen. Finnigan captains the home side today.

Aston Villa make five changes from the first team who were thrashed 4-1 by Liverpool in their last league game. Alisha Lehmann, Kirsty Hanson, Simone Magill, Rachel Corsie and Van Domselaar make way for Ebony Salmon, Rachel Daly, Adriana Leon, Danielle Turner and Anna Leat. We knew there would be a host of changes.

Everton: Brosnan, Wheeler, Vanhaevermaet, Bennison, Hope, Piemonte, Finnigan, Kühl, Galli, Snoeijs, Stenevik

Subs: Hart, Bissell, Dale, Wilding, Hobson, Settle

Aston Villa: Leat, Mayling, Patten, Nobbs, Daly, Dali, Turner, Salmon, Leon, Maritz, Pacheco

Subs: Poor, Corsie, Lehmann, Gregory, Mullett, Magill, Taylor

Hello and welcome to live, minute-by-minute coverage of Everton v Aston Villa at Walton Hall Park. The two sides are evenly matched so we should be for a close game.

After strong finishes to last season’s Women’s Super League (Everton finishing in sixth and Aston Villa in fifth), Everton and Aston Villa have struggled to reach the same lofty heights this campaign. Only two places and two points separate the sides, who sit in 10th and eighth respectively.

The two teams face similar problems with injuries going into this clash. According to the Everton manager Brian Sørenson, his side could be missing nine players due to injury. Meanwhile, Carla Ward’s squad will be missing at least four players, including the first choice keeper Daphne Van Domselaar.

So prepare to see makeshift starting XIs in a must-win game for both teams. Keep on refreshing this page for updates. Kick off is at 1pm.