Jordan Nobbs netted the winner as Aston Villa won 2-1 at Women's Super league rivals Tottenham.

Spurs defender Amy James-Turner’s 38th-minute header cancelled out Adriana Leon’s opening strike at Brisbane Road.

But with Nobbs netting her rocket strike on the hour mark, Villa took all three points back to Birmingham in a pivotal win in their quest for a top-six finish.

The result left Villa sitting in eighth, three points behind sixth-placed Tottenham.

The first real chance of the game fell to Leon 19 minutes in after Kirsty Hanson dispossessed Charlotte Grant, drove into the box and played a nifty pass to put in the Canadian, who skewed her shot wide.

Three minutes later, Leon, filling in for the suspended Rachel Daly, opened the scoring after winning the ball back in her own half and darting down the pitch.

Aided by a dazzling turn from Simone Magill, Leon finished her expert run with a clinical strike beneath Tottenham goalkeeper Barbora Votikova.

Villa's ability to press and use pace almost resulted in a second goal just after the half-hour mark as Hanson set up Leon, who was foiled by a low block of white shirts.

Tottenham needed more creativity to counter Hanson and Nobbs, who were pulling the strings and keeping control of the midfield.

But they were level when James-Turner got a head to Eveliina Summanen's free-kick and guided it past Daphne van Domselaar into the back of the net.

At the other end, Leon forced a massive save from Votikova two minutes into first-half stoppage time as the forward darted around Tottenham's defence, aiming at a tight angle. 

The Czech goalkeeper anticipated the strike well, ensuring the sides went into the break on level terms.

Early in the second half, the hosts were itching for a lead as captain Bethany England robbed Villa defender Anna Patten but sent her ambitious strike from distance wide.

Villa restored their lead on the hour mark after Nobbs collected Leon’s looping corner on the edge of the area and rifled into the back of the net.

Despite a fierce battle in the final half-hour and six minutes of stoppage time, Tottenham could not conjure any magic to counter Villa’s dominance and find the back of the net, suffering their fifth loss of the season.