The hosts responded immediately through Rachel Daly, who finished smartly at the near post from Kirsty Hanson's drilled cross.

But Everton were back in front in the 74th minute after Hanson upended Heather Payne in the box and centre-back Bjorn, on as a half-time substitute, sent Villa goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar the wrong way from the penalty spot.

Villa struggled to find any sort of rhythm and although they piled on the pressure late in the game, as the fog descended in Birmingham, Brian Sorensen's side stood firm to claim an important three points.

The win takes Everton up to eighth in the WSL table, four points clear of the relegation place, while Carla Ward's Villa are two points and two places back in 10th.

Everton settled the quicker of the sides and could have been in front inside four minutes when Payne slid the ball through for Katja Snoejis, who nimbly cut inside the defender only to hit the shot tamely at Van Domselaar.

Snoejis had a similar opportunity late in the half and produced a cleaner strike but Van Domselaar was equal to it again.

Daly had Villa's best chance of a disjointed first-half showing after sliding in to win back possession on the edge of the Everton penalty area.

However, the resulting cut-back from Adriana Leon was slightly behind her and the England striker scuffed the shot into the hands of Everton keeper Courtney Brosnan.

Everton looked the more likely to score at the start of the second half and got their goal when Patten was unable to move her feet quickly enough to avoid turning Holmgaard's teasing ball into her own net.

The equaliser, just one minute and 39 seconds later, was a glimpse of the free-flowing Villa of last season as Hanson and Daly combined so effectively but even that could not jolt the hosts into action and Everton were back in the ascendency before winning the decisive penalty.

Nicoline Sorensen had the chance to extend the lead when she broke clear and although her effort was pushed around the post, Bjorn's spot kick proved enough for Everton.

"We showed good character and mentality to not let [the equalising] goal shake us. We just kept going," Everton boss Sorensen told BBC Radio Merseyside.

"It's still a long, long way to go and we know that on our day we can beat every team around us. We need to focus on performance and then results will follow."

Villa's winning run comes to an abrupt end

After five straight defeats to start the season, Villa had bounced back to win four in a row in all competitions coming into this match.

This was a chance to put some distance between themselves and the drop zone and show that, despite a slow start, the side that had so impressed last term was still there.

Instead, it was as though those four straights wins - in which they scored 14 goals - had not happened and they looked a side lacking in confidence.

There were glimmers of what they are capable of with Hanson particularly lively down the left but largely they looked a side out of sync.

The desire for the sharp interplay in midfield and incisive passes to release the front three was there but the timing and execution rarely matched up.

Whether or not things click into place, Villa should have more than enough to avoid the drop.

For now though, they remain right in the thick of it at the wrong end of the table and it is Everton going into the international break with a bit of extra breathing room.