Aston Villa Women earned their first-ever WSL point against Chelsea as Akane Okuma produced an exceptional debut performance in a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Natalia Arroyo’s side spent long periods under heavy pressure before Veerle Buurman’s late own goal cancelled out Lauren James’ opener.
The numbers underline how much Villa had to withstand. FotMob’s Opta-powered match report recorded Chelsea with 34 attempts and 3.10 expected goals, while Okuma made nine saves on her WSL debut.
Here are our Aston Villa Women player ratings.
Akane Okuma produces outstanding Aston Villa debut
Akane Okuma: 9.5/10
Outstanding.
Okuma was beaten by a superb Lauren James finish after Villa lost possession, but barely put a foot wrong afterwards.
She denied Lucy Bronze, Aggie Beever-Jones and Ellie Carpenter before producing an outstanding close-range stop from James in the closing stages.
The Guardian described Okuma as fundamental to Villa escaping Stamford Bridge with a point, while Opta recorded nine saves.
A remarkable first WSL appearance.
Mathilde Harviken: 7.5/10
Villa’s defence spent much of the afternoon retreating towards its own penalty area, but Harviken remained committed and helped keep Chelsea within one goal.
There were uncomfortable spells against Chelsea’s movement, but Villa somehow stayed alive.
Justine Kielland: 7/10
Another player asked to absorb sustained Chelsea pressure.
Villa could not control the midfield for long periods, but Kielland worked hard without the ball and remained disciplined as Arroyo’s team protected the narrow deficit.
Lucy Parker: 7.5/10
Chelsea created far too much collectively for any Villa defender to receive a huge score, but Parker deserves credit for surviving an exhausting defensive afternoon.
Villa conceded only once despite Chelsea generating more than three expected goals.
Lynn Wilms helps create Villa equaliser
Lynn Wilms: 8/10
One of Villa’s most important outfield players.
Wilms provided the delivery which eventually produced the equaliser in the 79th minute. Her cross was not properly cleared, allowing Noelle Maritz to attack the loose ball before Hampton’s save rebounded off Buurman and in.
FotMob details the sequence which produced Villa’s equaliser.
Wilms had to spend much of the game defending, but still produced when Villa finally got an opportunity.
Noelle Maritz: 8/10
Her persistence created the goal.
Maritz reacted inside the Chelsea penalty area and got the decisive shot away. Hampton saved it, but the ball struck Buurman and crossed the line.
It will officially go down as an own goal, but Villa do not equalise without Maritz forcing the situation.
Lucia Kendall: 7/10
Captained an extremely young and heavily rebuilt Villa team through a very difficult afternoon.
Kendall could not impose herself on possession as much as she would have wanted, but there is something to be said for keeping the side organised and believing when Chelsea appeared completely dominant.
Villa’s new-look squad was facing its first competitive test after the extensive summer rebuild we analysed before the season.
They did not collapse.
Maya Hijikata: 6.5/10
Worked tirelessly but had limited opportunities to influence the game in attacking areas.
That was largely a consequence of Villa’s inability to establish possession rather than an individual failure.
Chasity Grant: 6.5/10
Another difficult afternoon for Villa’s attacking players.
Grant had to spend significant periods helping Villa maintain their shape rather than attacking Chelsea’s defence.
Her work without the ball mattered.
Amalie Vangsgaard: 6.5/10
Had one of Villa’s better opportunities after the interval, firing wide of the near post nine minutes into the second half.
It was never going to be an easy debut given how little possession Villa enjoyed, but she provided an outlet when Arroyo’s side could escape Chelsea’s press.
Mia McAulay: 6/10
A hugely demanding opening assignment.
McAulay struggled to become a consistent attacking factor, but that was true of almost Villa’s entire forward line.
There should be considerably easier afternoons ahead.
Player of the match: Akane Okuma
There is no debate.
Villa entered the weekend having lost all 12 previous WSL meetings with Chelsea.
They leave Stamford Bridge with a first point largely because their new goalkeeper refused to be beaten a second time.
The result is particularly encouraging after Villa entered the campaign needing to replace a significant amount of attacking output, something we examined in our analysis of Aston Villa Women’s summer squad changes.
Supporters can follow Arroyo’s side throughout the season through our Aston Villa Women news and fixtures hub.
Player of the match: Akane Okuma, 9.5/10.
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