Tottenham welcomed bottom-placed Bristol City to the Hive in a battle for survival in the WSL. The last time these two teams met was back in November when Bristol took a point in the 93rd minute in a match that led to the dismissal of Juan Carlos Amoros and Karen Hills.
Our Lilywhites was looking to finally pick up their first 3 points of 2021 after last weeks draw to Reading. After a dream start for Skinner, Tottenham has failed to win in 2021 picking up just 1 point since the restart. Highlights of last weeks draw can be seen below.
Tottenham currently find themselves in a possible relegation battle where games are running out, points are becoming harder to get and all while having played more games than Birmingham, Villa and West Ham. Currently, the Lilywhites fate still lays in their own hands but if Tottenham keep slipping up it will become a harder task to ensure survival on the last day of the season against Birmingham.
London Football Awards.
On a brighter note it was announced this week that the London Football Awards would take place on April 27th at 7 pm. Our very own Angela Addison has been nominated for London Women’s Young Player Of The Year 2021. We would like to wish Angela the best of luck and hope she walks away with this award.
Line ups.
Tottenham went with a familiar 4-2-3-1 with Spencer returning in goal for Tottenham, Morgan in at right-back, Zadorsky and McManus in the centre of defence and Worm in at left-back. Kennedy and Percival occupied the positions ahead of the defence with Ayane down the right-wing, Addison down the left-wing and Graham in the middle of midfield while Rianna Dean got a rare start upfront for our Lilywhites.
Brighton went for a 4-1-4-1 with Baggaley in goal, Allen in at right-back, Skeels and Evans in the centre of defence, Purfield in at left-back with Mastrantonio just ahead of the defence. The Bristol midfield was made of Daniels at right-wing, Pike and Humphrey in the centre of midfield and Harrison in left-wing while Salmon was the lone striker.
Match report.
Tottenham came into this match knowing that nothing less than 3 points would be good enough if Tottenham wants to avoid a relegation battle. Bristol came close to taking the lead in the 1st minute after a long ball by Pike found Salmon who got the better of McManus and broke through the middle but she overran the ball making it an easy ball to gather for Spencer. A minute later it was Tottenham’s turn to attack Bristol and Rianna Dean was fouled on the edge of the Bristol box by Mastrantonio. Worm stepped up to take the free-kick for Tottenham and wonderfully slotted it past Baggaley with a left-footed strike into the top right. Bristol did not sit back and 4 minutes later Bristol attacked down the left with Harrison who shot from an angle but turned to be a comfortable stop for Spencer. In the 13th minute, Bristol caught Tottenham on a counter with Harrison finding Salmon with a pass but good pressure from Zadorsky put Salmon off as the ball rolled out for a Tottenham goal-kick. 2 minutes later it was Tottenham’s turn, a cross by Graham was palmed away by Baggaley but only as far as Dean who skied her effort from the 6-yard box as Bristol was let off the hook.
It was all Tottenham and in the 22nd minute a pass by Ayane found Graham who turned well under pressure and shot from distance but her effort went just wide of Baggaley’s left post. Kit Graham was becoming a handful for Bristol and in the 29th minute it was Graham again who came close after some wonderful solo play in the middle of the park she managed to shoot from distance but she couldn’t keep her shot on target as it just sailed wide. Tottenham kept on the high pressure as Bristol struggled to get out of their half and threaten Tottenham. Tottenham’s best effort of the game came in the 41st minute when a Percival free-kick was met by Kennedy but her header was cleared off the line by Daniels to deny Tottenham a 2nd goal. Tottenham finished the half the strongest of the two teams and in the 44th-minute good play by Addison in the middle of the park found Graham who passed to Kennedy who shot from distance but her effort went just over Baggaley’s bar as the half came to an end.
Second half.
Just like in the first half, the first chance of the half fell to Bristol when a foul by Addison lead to a long free-kick by Mastrantonio which was headed away by McManus but only as far as Salmon who shot from distance hitting the post with her effort, luckily for Tottenham there were no Bristol players close by to knock in the rebound. 5 minutes later it was the same old story for our Lilywhites, a Mastrantonio corner found Evans who headed past Spencer into the top left-hand corner to put the visitors level. Just like so many time this season, Tottenham should have been 2 or 3 up but instead found themselves on level terms due to not being clinical enough in front of goal. That goal breathed new life into Bristol as the game became more open while Tottenham made a double substitution with Davison and Williams coming on for Addison and Dean. Gemma Davison almost had an immediate impact after a wonderful shot from distance forced Sophie Baggaley into action as Davison’s effort was pushed over for a corner.
Tottenham should have taken the lead in the 72nd minute when Rachel Williams split open the Bristol defence, found herself one on one with Baggaley but blasted her effort over the bar to let Bristol off the hook. Bristol had a call for a penalty turned away in the 75th minute when Pike turned past McManus and the ball seemed to bounce off her arm but referee Jane Simms was not interested. Tottenham began to grown back into the game in the final 10 minutes of the game as they regained possession and pushed Bristol back. Tottenham came close in the 85th minute when Worm’s cross from the right found Williams deep in the Bristol box who headed from point-blank range but her effort was saved by Baggaley on the line before the ball was put out for a Tottenham corner. Percival took the corner for Tottenham which was headed by Kennedy and again the ball was cleared off the line to deny Tottenham. Bristol held on to take a point as Tottenham continue their search for their first 3 points of 2021.
Player of the match.
Once again this was a game of two halves like back in November Tottenham dominated from the start and it looked like it was going to be a washout but the 2nd half proved very different. 3 players stood out for us today, the always dependable Shelina Zadorsky, Kit Graham and Esther Morgan. Because of her age and because she had a solid performance our player of the match goes to Morgan as she did everything to contain the Bristol frontline and did not crack under pressure in what was just her 4th professional game in the WSL.
Post match analysis.
What can we say that hasn’t been said before, Tottenham need to take advantage of their chances or they will be punished. We saw that against Chelsea, Brighton and again against Bristol for the 2nd time this season. We also can’t keep relying on our defenders to score our goals. Had it not been for defenders this season we would have most definitely already been relegated from the WSL. Looking at the statistics for this match we had 54% possession with 19 shots to 10 with 7 being on target to Bristol’s 2, yet we were only able to score one goal against a team that has a goal difference of -47. These stats are unacceptable for a team that has managed to attract world-class players such as Kennedy, McManus, Zadorsky and Alex Morgan. I am not saying we should be top of the table but we should be pushing for a top 4 finish along with Manchester United.
We just need to look at Manchester United who was promoted the same year as us and look at the huge gap between the two clubs. United are currently 3rd fighting for a Champions League spot while we are fighting to not be relegated. So the question is where has Tottenham gone wrong? Personally, the Alex Morgan deal was all wrong, Yes she is a HUGE name in the sport but to bring someone in who was not match fit for just 3 months who played just a handful of matches was all wrong. Tottenham based their training and game plan around a player that was going to leave while players like Williams and Dean sat out in the cold and once Morgan left the coach had to adapt a new style of play to accommodate Williams and Dean. United on the other hand brought in Press and Heath for the full season and have been instrumental in United’s success this season. So the lesson for the club MUST be to learn to carry out better deals.
Another issue the team is struggling this season is not because Juan and Karen’s time was done, NOT because Skinner is not good enough to take us forward but because we have too many players that are not WSL quality when compared to United. We have some real gems in our teams like Godfrey, Dean, Neville, Morgan, Addison, Quinn, Harrop, Zadorsky, Worm and Kennedy but the rest of the squad is Championship not Super League quality. For now, we have to make do what we have and fight for survival and in the summer, Skinner will be able to bring in her players to avoid another disappointing campaign. There are 5 games left this season, lets get behind the ladies from our homes and hope they can remain at the highest level COME ON YOU SPURS!!!
Announcment.
Finally we want to show our respect to Brittany Willson’s mother Dawn who sadly passed away this week. For those that may not know Brittany Willson is a goalkeeper for the Orlando Pride in the NWSL, the club that Shelina Zadorsky, Alanna Kennedy and Alex Morgan came from. Dawn was a single parent who gave everything for her daughters Alyssa and Brittany and was helping Alyssa pay for her tuition fees. Since Dawn had no will, a Go Fund Me has been set up to help Alyssa and Brittany cover funeral costs and for a probate attorney. If you would to donate, find out more about this cause or just share the link via social media you can do so here —> https://bit.ly/3r9ninJ. From us here at Women Soccer Fans we want to send our condolences, prayers and well wishes to Brittany, Alyssa and the whole family during this difficult time.
Next Match.
Our next match will take place next Saturday, March 27th when our Lilywhites welcome Arsenal to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Unfortunately due to Covid restrictions, the game will take place behind closed doors BUT the game will be shown at 15:30 on the FA Player.
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Tottenham vs Arsenal
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