Reaction'An important three points' - Matt Beard's verdict on win over Villa

On their return to Barclays Women’s Super League action following the international break, the Reds saw off Aston Villa courtesy of a first-half double from Taylor Hinds.

Gabi Nunes had replied for the hosts soon after the interval but Beard’s charges maintained their advantage to secure a second win of the campaign.

“It’s tough to win in this league,” the manager said in his post-match assessment. “We’ve now gone level on points with Arsenal and we’re in amongst that top pack, we’re on nine now and [Manchester] United are sitting there on 11.

“We’ve had a tough start to the season; I’ve said it before, we’ve had numerous injuries that have affected systems etc. But I thought we were excellent, worthy winners today.

“First half, I thought we were excellent. Second half, we had to adapt slightly to their shape change and I think once we got to grips with that I felt we were quite comfortable, they were restricted to shots from distance, crosses and set-plays really.

“I was really pleased defensively today. It’s an important three points.”

• Read our match report here

A quiet beginning to the game was broken in the 26th minute when Hinds crashed home an opening goal having been assisted by Leanne Kiernan.

The captain then netted again just prior to half-time, beating the goalkeeper from a similar position with a low finish after Grace Fisk had served a dangerous cross into the Villa box.

Beard said: “I thought Taylor was outstanding today, with and without the ball. A great response, because she came off at half-time against Crystal Palace.

“It was a bit like last year – if I look at the game last year, Emma Koivisto scored two from crosses at the far post, so it’s a similar story again.

“I was really proud of her today, I thought she was excellent.”

The boss had opted for four changes to his starting line-up for the trip to the Midlands, and he reiterated his satisfaction with the response from his squad.

“It’s been a tough week because we’ve had 12 players away,” added Beard. “The changes, we were able to go back to the 5-3-2 that has served us so well.

“It’s more about personnel really, the changes, the players that were available in comparison to the week before. We were pleased with the overall outcome.”

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