Hemp bags a brace as Manchester City come from behind to defeat Aston Villa | OneFootball

Lauren Hemp netted a second half brace as Manchester City came from behind to defeat Aston Villa 2-1 at The Joie Stadium this afternoon.

Danielle Turner’s early strike had given the visitors a shock lead but Manchester City’s quality eventually shone through with forward Hemp leading the comeback.

Manchester City went close early in the first half when Hemp crossed the ball for Khadija Shaw but she couldn’t loop her header on target.

At the other end, Jordan Nobbs saw an effort deflect wide before Aston Villa broke the deadlock through Turner’s impressive finish. The defender met a cross on the volley and she looped her shot into the far corner of the Manchester City net.

Turner then made an important interception at the other end before Hemp and Shaw both failed to trouble Daphne van Domselaar in the Aston Villa goal.

The Villans had to ride their luck at times towards the end of the first half. Shaw, Jill Roord and Chloe Kelly all registered shots on goal in a real scramble but the visitors survived and went into the break 1-0 up.

Manchester City pushed hard for an equaliser early in the second half but they so often came up against a wall of Aston Villa bodies. The Cityzens finally levelled matters on the hour mark when Kelly’s cross found Hemp who headed the ball into the back of the net.

The hosts soon turned the game completely on its head when Alex Greenwood dinked a ball to the back post and Hemp slid it home.

Hemp almost claimed a 10-minute hat-trick when she again connected with a Kelly cross but this time, Van Domselaar was able to save her header.

Manchester City thought that they should have had a penalty late on when Shaw went down in the box but the appeals were waved away and the game ended 2-1.

The result moves Manchester City up to second place in the Barclays Women’s Super League table while Aston Villa remain in 10th position.