A goal in each half from Lauren James was added to by Sam Kerr on the hour mark after James had won the ball back and provided the assist, capping a stunning individual performance which helped the Blues extend our winning streak to seven consecutive matches in all competitions.

After we opened the scoring, Villa made life difficult and worked their equaliser seven minutes before half-time, leaving us to pause for thought at the break. However, James restored our lead just two minutes after the restart to calm the nerves before setting up Kerr to put the icing on the cake.

This victory keeps us level with Manchester United and Arsenal, who overcame Everton and West Ham United respectively on Sunday, ahead of our heavyweight clash with Manchester United next weekend before the international break.

Reflecting on a hard-earned victory, Green gave his overall assessment of a first half that was rather evenly balanced, but was pleased to see us take our game to another level in the second 45 minutes against stern opposition.

‘Aston Villa proved to be a tough opponent, particularly in the first half they caused us quite a few problems,' he said.

'We maybe deserved to be in the lead but they were full value to go in level at half-time. Lauren took her goal really well with a great touch and finish with her left foot. They came back into it a little bit and fully deserved their equaliser through Rachel Daly, who I think will go on and be one of the top scorers in the league come the end of the season.

‘We had to regroup at half time and go again. Coming out and getting the early goal through Lauren, again showing her quality with a good right-foot finish, was just what we needed at that time in the game. After that, I felt there was only going to be one winner. We were a lot better in the second half and thoroughly deserved the win over the 90 minutes.’

Villa have recruited well ahead of the new season, bolstering their attacking ranks with some talented acquisitions. Green was not surprised at how Villa approached the game and believes we were resilient in the face of the threats they offered.

‘We know that Aston Villa are predominantly a pressing team. It didn’t surprise us. They have got a lot more quality now in those forward areas with the likes of Rachel Daly, Kirsty Hanson, Lehmann and Dali who did well today. They’ve added more quality to the squad. Last year, their efforts here were more sitting off us and trying to counter attack whereas in this game, they were a lot more aggressive.

‘They have been like that throughout the season when you look at the early games, so we knew it was going to be tough. We had to weather that period of the game and show resilience, which this team does very well. We came out second half, got the early breakthrough which makes things a lot easier once you get that early goal.’

James netted a brace and steals the headlines for another impressive all-round performance, with an assist to accompany two expertly taken goals. Green expressed his delight with James’ display and believes there is more to come.

‘She took her two goals really well, showed her quality off either foot, with a left-foot finish for the first and a right-foot finish for the second. She is still developing all the time, there is still room for improvement in her game, but we’ve been really delighted with the way she has started the season and we’re looking forward to that continuing. We were really pleased with her performance and she showed her quality.’

There has been a real sense of personal growth for James who is getting better with every game that passes. Green discussed the improvements she has made and says she is being rewarded for her efforts both on and off the pitch.

‘Lauren from pre-season has really benefited from that journey last season, getting things right off the pitch and really building her slowly and progressively. The start she has made right from pre-season out in Portland, where she was outstanding in the game against Lyon and scored a goal, she has continued that into this season. She’s broken into the senior England squad, made a couple of appearances and we were really pleased with her.

‘It’s full testament to the whole staff that have helped and Lauren maybe getting more professional in her habits, which goes for any young player at that age. Learning off the likes of Sam Kerr, Pernille Harder, Fran Kirby, Maren Mjelde, all of our senior players in that one year where she wasn’t on the pitch a lot. She learnt a lot off the pitch and that’s really benefiting her now going into this season. We can already see the impact of that in the short timeframe from pre-season to now.’

Emma Hayes watched the game from the stands and received a heart-warming welcome from the supporters nearby. The performance would surely have pleased Hayes and Green was extremely happy to see her continuing to recover well.

‘It gave everybody a real boost to have Emma well enough to come and watch the game, albeit from the director’s box. She did pop in and wish the girls good luck and was in there at half-time, albeit still allowing Denise and I to speak to the team.

‘She did get around one or two individuals. It’s great that she’s making good progress and felt well enough to come. It’s the first part of her re-integration into the group and we look forward to welcoming her back on a more permanent basis as soon as possible.’