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Manchester United posted only their second win in six Women's Super League games At a glance Julia Zigiotti Olme scores straight from corner to give Man Utd lead Aston Villa strike back through Kirsty Hanson two minutes later Elisabeth Terland and Jessica Park pull the visitors ahead again in second half Hanna Lundkvist then seals victory with her first WSL goal PLAYER RATER A second-half surge helped Manchester United comfortably defeat Aston Villa for their first victory in three Women's Super League matches and move one point behind third-placed Arsenal. Kirsty Hanson had cancelled out Julia Zigiotti Olme's opener for United in the first half but goals from Elisabeth Terland, Jessica Park and Hanna Lundkvist after the restart ensured Marc Skinner's side returned to winning ways. "It's a fantastic win as it puts us right in that chasing pack, " Skinner said. "We weren't good enough in the first half but we had words at half-time. "We controlled the second half very well and it could have been six goals in the end. " United's early dominance was rewarded when Ellie Roebuck failed to deal with Zigiotti Olme's inswinging corner, which flew over the Villa goalkeeper and straight into the top‑right corner to give the visitors a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute. But their advantage lasted only two minutes as Hanson struck against her old side, finishing through the legs of Jayde Riviere to wrong-foot keeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce for her seventh league goal of the season. Tullis-Joyce, however, was on hand to keep out Maya Hijikata's curling effort late in the first half to make sure the score remained level at the interval. United had to wait until the 71st minute to regain the lead when Hinata Miyazawa's ball into the box was knocked down by Melvine Malard for substitute Terland to fire home a first-time effort. Jess Park then drove into the box and finished past Roebuck to give United a two-goal cushion before she played in Lundkvist to score her first WSL goal and seal the victory. The result means United sit fourth with 25 points while Villa are seventh with 16 points. What is an 'Olimpico' goal in football? Hanna Lundkvist left San Diego Wave to join Manchester United United scripted history in midweek by reaching the Women's League Cup final for the first time at the expense of Arsenal. Skinner's side also beat Burnley 5-0 in the Women's FA Cup fourth round last week, but their league form has dipped in recent weeks. They came into this fixture after back-to-back draws against the Gunners and Tottenham and were searching for only their second win in six games. But despite a difficult first half against a resolute Villa, Skinner was able to turn to his bench to turn the game around after the restart and wrap up a memorable week for the club. All three January signings featured, with Sweden striker Ellen Wangerheim making her WSL debut and Germany international Lea Schuller almost scoring in the second half. But the pick of the new players was Lundkvist who wrapped up the win, allowing another appearance for Layla Drury, who became United's youngest-ever player and scorer in the FA Cup win last week. "I'm really happy with the signings, " Skinner said. "[Schuller and Wangerheim] are almost in preseason now. We are trying to get them up to speed. "[Lundkvist] is very classy. The goal was a great finish. " United are now within touching distance of Arsenal, who sit third, with defending champions Chelsea only two points ahead in second. And they could bolster their squad further before the transfer window closes on Tuesday, 3 February at 23: 00 GMT. "We are looking, " the United boss said. "We will leave our minds open if anything is possible because we want to add to this wonderful team. " If they can replicate more of that second-half display in the coming weeks, it could prove pivotal in their chase of Champions League qualification next season. A year has passed since Natalie Arroyo took charge of a struggling Villa side and she has given them a new lease of life in the top flight. The Spanish tactician arrived armed with January arrivals Oriane Jean-Francois and Jenna Nighswonger, but she needs results if Villa are to keep pace with the big names of the league. A goal from Miri Taylor inflicted a first defeat of the season on United when the sides met earlier in the season and they had threatened to do the double over the visitors until the floodgates opened in the final 20 minutes. Without the influential Rachel Daly in the squad, Scotland international Hanson was their most potent weapon, going close with a shot from distance and proving a handful for United captain Maya le Tissier before she hit the target to maintain her purple patch. Only Manchester City striker Khadija Shaw (13) has scored more WSL goals than Hanson this season. But ultimately it was United's strength in depth that proved the difference as the Villa manager ran out of options. Arroyo spoke about Villa's ambition of "disrupting the WSL top four" this week and though they briefly did that here, the performance underlined how much work remains if they are to do so consistently. "It's about being ruthless and they showed that they are better than us, " she said. "We need to keep building. If we want to compete, we definitely have to defeat United. We need to learn from the second half and grow. " Aston Villa will make the trip to Everton in their next Women's Super League fixture on Sunday, 1 February (11: 55 GMT), while Manchester United host Liverpool at the same time. After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users. Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Last Updated 25th January 2026 at 13: 52 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: Marc Skinner Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Natalia Arroyo Formation: 3 - 4 - 1 - 2 Manager: Marc Skinner Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Women's Super League All competitions All competitions All competitions Match ends, Aston Villa Women 1, Manchester United Women 4. Second Half ends, Aston Villa Women 1, Manchester United Women 4. Attempt blocked. Hinata Miyazawa (Manchester United Women) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Dominique Janssen. Corner, Manchester United Women. Conceded by Ellie Roebuck. Attempt saved. Lisa Naalsund (Manchester United Women) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner by Ellie Roebuck (Aston Villa Women). Assisted by Elisabeth Terland. Attempt missed. Millie Turner (Manchester United Women) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Julia Zigiotti Olme with a cross following a corner. Fourth official has announced 4 minutes of added time. Corner, Manchester United Women. Conceded by Ellie Roebuck. Attempt saved. Julia Zigiotti Olme (Manchester United Women) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top left corner by Ellie Roebuck (Aston Villa Women). Attempt saved. Kirsty Hanson (Aston Villa Women) left footed shot from long range on the left is saved in the centre of the goal by Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United Women). Assisted by Ebony Salmon. Attempt saved. Oriane Jean-François (Aston Villa Women) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner by Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United Women). Assisted by Lynn Wilms. Substitution, Aston Villa Women. Milly Round replaces Maya Hijikata. Substitution, Manchester United Women. Millie Turner replaces Anna Sandberg. Substitution, Manchester United Women. Layla Drury replaces Melvine Malard. Corner, Aston Villa Women. Conceded by Maya Le Tissier. Hanna Lundkvist (Manchester United Women) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Jenna Nighswonger (Aston Villa Women). Elisabeth Terland (Manchester United Women) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Noëlle Maritz (Aston Villa Women). Offside, Manchester United Women. Elisabeth Terland is caught offside. Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.