It was a cruel draw, away to the European champions in Villa's first FA Cup game of the season and despite a valiant effort Villa are eliminated at the first hurdle.

Ellie Roebuck makes her first start since November.
There’s no place for Rachel Daly or Jenna Nighswonger, but Oriane Jean-François does make her Villa debut.

Match Report:
Villa exited the Adobe Women’s FA Cup on Sunday afternoon, losing 2-0 to European champions Arsenal in the fourth round. The Villans defended well in the first half, with Ellie Roebuck making several impressive saves at Boreham Wood’s Mangata Developments Stadium. However, second-half goals from Stina Blackstenius and captain Kim Little secured Arsenal’s progression to round five in Hertfordshire. Natalia Arroyo’s team was unbeaten in their last two encounters with Arsenal, having salvaged a point in a last-minute draw at the Emirates Stadium earlier in the season. The Villa manager gave Lucy Staniforth her first start of the season, marking her 50th appearance for the club. She played alongside stand-in captain Missy Bo Kearns in midfield. Arsenal dominated early play, seeking an opening goal, but Roebuck’s sharp reflexes and solid defending kept them at bay. Midway through the first half, Roebuck made an excellent save, tipping Alessia Russo’s header over the bar after a cross from substitute Smila Holmberg. Despite Villa’s chance when Maya Hijikata narrowly missed a close-range header, Arsenal largely controlled the opening period. Beth Mead’s cross hit the crossbar, and Roebuck made another great save from Russo’s header, maintaining Villa’s clean sheet. As the half neared its end, Kirsty Hanson’s pass found Rachel Maltby at the back post, but Mead’s timely recovery challenge prevented her from scoring, leaving the score tied at halftime. In the second half, Villa improved and forced Roebuck into another save early on. However, they conceded the first goal at 52 minutes when Little’s pullback was finished by Blackstenius. Ten minutes later, Blackstenius provided the assist for Little to double Arsenal’s lead with a tap-in. After the second goal, Arroyo made tactical substitutions, including debuting Oriane Jean-François and bringing on Georgia Mullet. Villa’s best chance to reduce the deficit came when Jean-François headed wide from a set piece. Arsenal nearly added a third in stoppage time, but Caitlin Foor’s shot missed narrowly. Ultimately, the 2-0 result ended Villa’s FA Cup run.

2025-26 Women's FA Cup Appearance & Goal Record:
GK Ellie Roebuck 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 2025-26 Women's FA Cup 🕒 1 | ✅ 1 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
FB Noelle Maritz 🇨🇭 2025-26 Women's FA Cup 🕒 1 | ✅ 1 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
CB Anna Patten 🇮🇪 2025-26 Women's FA Cup 🕒 1 | ✅ 1 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
CB Lucy Parker 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 2025-26 Women's FA Cup 🕒 1 | ✅ 1 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
RB Lynn Wilms 🇳🇱 2025-26 Women's FA Cup 🕒 1 | ✅ 1 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
M Lucy Staniforth 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 2025-26 Women's FA Cup 🕒 1 | ✅ 1 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
DM Miri Taylor 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 2025-26 Women's FA Cup 🕒 1 | ✅ 1 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
LB Rachel Maltby 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 2025-26 Women's FA Cup 🕒 1 | ✅ 1 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
CM Missy Bo Kearns 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 2025-26 Women's FA Cup 🕒 1 | ✅ 1 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
F Maya Hijikata 🇯🇵 2025-26 Women's FA Cup 🕒 1 | ✅ 1 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
F Kirsty Hanson 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 2025-26 Women's FA Cup 🕒 1 | ✅ 1 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
F Ebony Salmon 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 2025-26 Women's FA Cup 🕒 1 | ✅ 0 | 🔁 1 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
M Oriane Jean-François 🇫🇷 2025-26 Women's FA Cup 🕒 1 | ✅ 0 | 🔁 1 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
CB Océane Deslandes 🇫🇷 2025-26 Women's FA Cup 🕒 1 | ✅ 0 | 🔁 1 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
F Georgia Mullett 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 2025-26 Women's FA Cup 🕒 1 | ✅ 0 | 🔁 1 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺0 |
GK Sabrina D'Angelo 🇨🇦 2025-26 Women's FA Cup 🕒 0 | ✅ 0 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺1 |
CB Lydia Sallaway 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 2025-26 Women's FA Cup 🕒 0 | ✅ 0 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺1 |
M Pippa Lea 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 2025-26 Women's FA Cup 🕒 0 | ✅ 0 | 🔁 0 | ⚽ 0 | 🔥 0 | 🇺1 |