Lucia Kendall gave Aston Villa interim boss Brian Sørensen an immediate reward for turning to his bench, scoring twice late on to settle Wednesday’s cup clash with Newcastle.
The midfielder replaced Maya Hijikata just after the hour with the scores level at Keys Park. She then struck the decisive second goal before adding another in stoppage time to secure a 3-1 victory.
Newcastle’s official match centre records Kendall’s introduction as part of a triple substitution, alongside Lynn Wilms and Chasity Grant.
Lucia Kendall gives Aston Villa the decisive contribution
Lily Murphy had put Villa ahead before Oona Sevenius equalised, leaving Sørensen’s first match in temporary charge finely balanced.
Kendall supplied the difference when Villa needed it. Her second goal came from close range during a set-piece sequence in which Miri Taylor also struck the crossbar.
Our Aston Villa vs Newcastle report covers the result, which followed Sunday’s heavy defeat at Tottenham.
For Kendall, the double also follows her selection in England’s squad for the Greece play-off.
Her contribution offers a clear positive for Villa: an established midfielder delivering the goals that turned a level game into a win.
It would be premature to draw sweeping conclusions about Sørensen’s approach from one cup match. On this occasion, however, his second-half changes included the player who settled it.
