Khadija Shaw scored four goals as Manchester City beat Aston Villa to ensure they will take a six-point lead in the Women's Super League into 2026.

Shaw's opening goal was her 100th in all competitions for City - the first time a female player has reached that landmark for the club in the professional era.

The Jamaican - easily the best player on the pitch - doubled her tally for the day before half-time, completed her hat-trick late in the second half, and still found time to add a fourth in stoppage time.

Villa started well at Joie Stadium but could not keep pace after Shaw gave title-chasing City a 2-0 lead, and Aoba Fujino added a third in the second half.

Manager Andree Jeglertz, who has overseen an impressive start since joining City in the summer, was able to bring on England defender Alex Greenwood for her first appearance since October after recovering from a knee injury.

The City captain was given a warm reception, as was full-back Kerstin Casparij on her 100th appearance for the club.

Villa could do little to combat City's quality but scored a consolation at 3-0 down in the second half, when Lucy Parker headed in following a corner.

Their celebrations were shortlived, though, as Fujino teed up Vivianne Miedema for City's fourth three minutes later.

City end the year six points clear of defending champions Chelsea in the WSL, while Villa are eighth with three wins from their 11 matches.

Shaw has already secured legendary status at City, and is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in world football despite often missing out on individual accolades.

Her goalscoring rate is astonishing - she now has 103 goals in 120 appearances for City in all competitions, with 74 in the WSL.

And against Villa she brought the level of quality City needed to break the deadlock against well-organised opponents.

Shaw dominated Villa's defence in the penalty area, getting in front of her marker to meet Miedema's perfectly executed pass for the first, then turning sharply to make space for her second - fooling Anna Patten in the process.

She had earlier put goalkeeper Sabrina D'Angelo under pressure, forcing her into an error before having a shot tipped over as the offside flag went up.

Shaw then saw an audacious curling effort smack off the post in the second half before completing her hat-trick in the 84th minute after substitute Kerolin laid on a simple finish for her.

And just as Villa may have thought it could not get any worse as the clock ticked down, Shaw thumped in her fourth in stoppage time.

City have fallen short in the title race in recent seasons - often coinciding with injury issues for Shaw.

They will hope she stays fit and gets them over the line this time as her ruthlessness in front of goal has given Jeglertz a flying start to his tenure.

After an impressive 3-0 win over bottom side Liverpool on Thursday, Villa looked full of confidence on arrival and set the tone early in the game.

They were moving the ball around nicely - largely playing through Lucia Kendall and Kirsty Hanson - but were unable to capitalise on a bright start.

In one of their best chances, captain Rachel Daly, who scored twice against Liverpool, almost got on the end of Hanson's whipped cross when any touch seemed sure to bring a goal.

Instead, it was City who finished the first half in total control, embracing the festive atmosphere at their home ground, with Santa and one of his elves dressed in blue entertaining fans before kick-off.

This was clearly not the way Villa would have wanted to end the year, but it was always going to be a tough ask.

Natalia Arroyo's side have been dangerous but also inconsistent - and they will want to showcase the former more often in the new year.

But considering they were fighting relegation when Arroyo came in at the start of the year, their progress in the second half of 2025 has been a huge positive.

City travel to West Ham on Sunday, 21 December (13:00 GMT) for a Women's League Cup quarter-final tie. Villa have no more matches in 2025.

Both teams return to WSL action after the winter break on Sunday, 11 January, with City hosting Everton and Villa at home to Brighton (both 12:00 GMT kick-offs).

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