‘It’s my dream’: Villa and Arroyo edge closer to Wembley in Women’s FA Cup

Natalia Arroyo enjoys her first win as head coach with a 3-2 victory over Brighton and feels their fortunes are looking up

While the new Aston Villa head coach Natalia Arroyo’s days working as a football journalist for the Catalan daily newspaper Ara are well behind her, she clearly still knows what runs through a sports writer’s mind, as she reflected on her side’s 3-2 victory over Brighton: “It wasn’t that difficult for the journalists, probably. It’s always more difficult when somebody scores in the last minute, those are the craziest ones to write!”

Indeed, thanks to Villa taking a 3-1 lead inside 55 minutes, this five-goal thriller of a Women’s FA Cup tie did not present late drama but it was no less significant, as it delivered the Spanish coach her first victory in charge of Villa in her second game, and could provide her team with a platform to build on for the remainder of the season.

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