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Media caption,Leicester relegation troubles grow as Villa come from behind
ByAdam MillingtonBBC Sport journalist- Published54 minutes ago
With just five games remaining, Leicester City need to rapidly turn things around to avoid relegation from the Women's Super League.
Defeat by Aston Villa on Sunday was their sixth in a row and kept the Foxes three points adrift at the foot of the table.
There were faint hopes of their fortunes turning around at King Power Stadium, when Alisha Lehmann netted to give them a 1-0 advantage at the break - but normal service soon resumed.
They lapsed in the second half and Villa came from behind to win.
It was a result former England striker Ellen White described as "gut-wrenching".
Leicester fans have become accustomed to disappointment this season, this their 12th defeat in the league, but despite their situation, Leicester manager Rick Passmoor is hopeful "the tide will turn" for his side.
"The will is there, the togetherness is there, the culture is there," he told BBC Sport."We are not going away - we are not turning our back on this fight. Our destiny is still in our hands."
This loss was particularly galling given victory would have taken them out of the relegation place above West Ham on goal difference and followed a promising first-half display.
Speaking on BBC Two, White said: "They were so positive, so direct and they got 1-0 up in the first half. Then, they just needed to shut up shop."
Even if Leicester finish bottom this season, it will not be fatal for them.
As the Women's Super League is expanding to 14 teams, no side will be automatically relegated, but the 12th-placed club will face a relegation play-off at the home of whoever finishes third in the WSL 2.
Why Leicester are in trouble
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Alisha Lehmann's first goal for Leicester was only their ninth in the Women's Super League this season
This has been a difficult season for Leicester, who have struggled to find the back of the net throughout the campaign.
Their nine goals in the league is the worst of any team, six fewer than anyone else, and they have not scored more than once in any league game.
As a result, Passmoor's priority has to be fixing their attacking issues, which have only worsened due to injury.
Against Villa, they were without Denny Draper, Noemie Mouchon and Jutta Rantala, while Emily van Egmond has only just finished representing Australia at the Asian Cup.
Even though they started well against Villa and caused early problems, their lack of depth was evident as they ran out of steam in the second half.
After the break, they managed just one shot, a blocked effort in stoppage time, and only mustered four touches in the Villa box. Indeed, 0.76 of their 0.81 expected goals tally came in the first half.
Passmoor said his side have "just got to have a bit of luck", adding: "Our destiny is still in our own hands.
"Whatever it might be to get a result then after that, everybody is relieved and can play with a bit more freedom."
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Is there still hope for the Foxes?
Some injured players being close to returning could aid their attacking objectives - but there will need to be significant improvements if they are to avoid the drop.
The only real advantage for Passmoor's side is the fact that they have a game in hand, but that is away at Arsenal at the end of next month.
The rest of their fixtures also make for difficult reading, with Chelsea still to play, and tricky games at London City and Everton after next week's home match with Brighton.
West Ham and Liverpool remain the only other clear relegation contenders, although Liverpool's five-point advantage following their draw at Brighton earlier on Sunday inched them closer to safety.
Despite Leicester's tough run-in, Passmoor noted that "so have other teams around us," with Liverpool facing both Arsenal and Manchester City, and West Ham also hosting league leaders City.
Liverpool and West Ham still have to play each other too.
While acknowledging the damage of this defeat, White refused to give up on Leicester, saying they are "not out of it by any stretch of the imagination".
"They are just lacking in confidence," she added. "It isn't down and out at all - they need to galvanise and stay together.
"They just need something, a point or performance, to bring confidence and momentum."
Listen to a special episode of the Women's Football Weekly as former England striker Ellen White heads to Leicester City to meet boss Rick Passmoor and Switzerland forward Alisha Lehmann. Find it on the Women's Football Weekly feed
