WSL: Villa draw with Palace as Blues lose at Everton

Aston Villa Women were held to a 1-1 draw by Crystal Palace, while Birmingham City Women lost 2-1 at Everton, as both of the city's Women's Super League sides continued to look for their first win of the season.

Villa 1-1 Crystal Palace

Villa went ahead through Noelle Maritz, who swept home at the back post after a swift counter-attack. Palace equalised in the 74th minute through Abbie Larkin, and Villa were unable to find a winner.

The draw at least ended a run of defeats for Villa, who had lost 4-0 at Tottenham Hotspur in their previous match.

Everton 2-1 Birmingham City

At Goodison Park, Ruby Mace scored twice for Everton. Her first came when she was set up by Yuka Momiki and curled a superb shot into the top left corner. Oceane Hurtre equalised for Blues after a clever turn from Effa left her through on goal, but Mace struck again from the edge of the area, her deflected shot finding the bottom corner after a pass from Ornella Vignola.

The win lifted Everton to fifth in the table.

Where they stand

After five matches, Birmingham City are 13th with two points from two draws and three defeats. Villa, also without a win, picked up their third point of the season.

Both clubs will be anxious to start winning soon. There is still a long way to go in the season, but points will become harder to find as it goes on.

Hurtre on form

Oceane Hurtre has been one of the bright spots for Blues since their promotion. The French forward scored twice in the 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace last weekend, and her goal at Everton was another reminder of her threat.

Coming up

Birmingham City face Arsenal on 17 October and Charlton Athletic on 25 October. Villa are also back in action after the international break, when they will be looking to build on their point against Palace.

The international break

The WSL now pauses for international matches, with players from both clubs likely to join their national teams. The break gives managers time to work on improving results on the training ground.

Two clubs in the top flight

This is the first season since 2022 that Birmingham has had two teams in the WSL. Blues won promotion as champions of the second tier, WSL 2, last season. The Second City derby between the two clubs is one of the most eagerly awaited fixtures of the season for the city's football fans.

Growing the women's game

Attendances at women's football have grown sharply since the Lionesses won the European Championship in 2022 and retained it in 2025. Both Birmingham clubs have been working to attract more supporters, with affordable tickets and family offers.

Watching

Many WSL matches are shown on television and streaming services, and highlights are available on club and broadcaster websites.

Goodison Park

Everton Women now play their home matches at Goodison Park, the historic ground used by Everton's men's team until they moved to their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock in 2025. The move has given the women's team one of the most famous venues in English football as its home.