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After last week’s hard-fought draw against Manchester United, Tottenham welcomed London Rivals Arsenal to the Hive for matchday 7 of the 2021-22 WSL season. Tottenham have been on a high this season but Arsenal is the team to beat along with Chelsea to compete for a championship. Arsenal came into this match top of the table with 6 wins from 6, while our Lilywhites came into the game in 3rd place after dropping points to Brighton and Manchester United. Highlights of Tottenham’s last match to Manchester United can be viewed below on our YouTube channel.

Line ups.

Tottenham 4-3-3: Korpela in goal, Neville in at right-back, Bartrip and Zadorksy in the centre of defence with Harrop in at left-back. The Tottenham midfield was made of Clemaron, Simon and Percival with the Tottenham front 3 being made of Chi down the left, Graham down the right and Williams in the centre

Arsenal 4-3-3: Zinsberger in goal, Maritz at right-back, Williamson and Wubben-Moy in the centre of defence with Catley in at left-back. The Arsenal midfield was made of Maanum, Walti and Little, while the Arsenal front there was made of Mead down the right, McCabe down the left with Miedema in the centre.

First half.

As expected Arsenal started the strongest of the two teams, Tottenham struggled to find their feet and the difference in class between the two sides was clear. Neville was struggling against McCabe who was enjoying a lot of possession and dominance down the left flank. With all the possession, Arsenal was enjoying they was unable to test Korpela in the Tottenham goal as Bartrip and Zadorksy held the defence together preventing Miedema from receiving any balls.

A silly foul by Neville on McCabe in the 26th minute led to a free-kick for the visitors on the edge of the box, Mead took the Arsenal free-kick but fortunately for Tottenham her effort struck the back post before being cleared away by Tottenham. Tottenham’s first chance of the half came in the 31st minute when a great ball by Clemaron found Graham who found herself 1 on 1 with Zinsberger but Wubbe-Moy came across just in time to deflect the ball for a corner before Graham had a chance to get a shot away.

Arsenal had a chance in the 36th minute to take the lead when a Tottenham mis-kick came to Miedema who twisted and turned but was well tracked by Bartrip with her effort blocked to deny Arsenal an opener. Arsenal again had another great chance in the 41st minute when McCabe latched onto a loose ball and shot from the edge of the box but Korpela managed to get a hand to the ball as the bar was flicked onto the bar to deny Arsenal.

Second half.

A different Tottenham side came out in the second half as Tottenham came out more attacking and dominated the opening of the second half. Tottenham’s first chance came in the 46th minute with an attack started by Chi, and found Graham with a pass but her effort from long range was blocked by Little for a Tottenham corner. Arsenal came straight back at Tottenham and in the 51st minute some great play but Catley found Mead who found herself one on one with Korpela but Korpela made herself big enough to pull off a great save to again deny Arsenal an opener. Arsenal kept putting pressure on Tottenham and in the 56th minute Miedema latched onto a ball from Mead but Neville tracked her all the way and blocked Miedema’s effort as Korpela saved well from the loose ball.

Tottenham came back at Arsenal in the 59th minute with Chi taking on Catley and shooting from an angle but her effort was gathered easily by Zinsberger in the Arsenal goal. A minute later Arsenal came straight back at Tottenham with good passing of the ball which found Maritz who shot from distance but Korpela got down quickly to her right post to pull off a great save. After riding their luck a little in the first half Tottenham finally got their breakthrough in the 64th minute when Graham shot from an angle, the ball rebounded in the Arsenal box before being turned into the net by Rachel Williams to give Tottenham the lead. Tottenham should have had a second 6 minutes later when Captain Zadorsky found herself unmarked in the Arsenal box after a corner, shot but her effort was parried away to Neville who blasted over the bar from point-blank range. Arsenal looked to get back into the game and in the 74 minute Little almost found herself clear through but she was well tracked by Bartrip who got a boot in to defect Little’s effort out for a corner.

Tottenham kept looking for a 2nd in the 79th minute Simon latched onto a loose ball, turned well before getting shot away from distance but her effort was just wide of Zinsberger’s left-hand post. Arsenal pushed everyone forward in the closing stages of the match as Tottenham soaked up Arsenal pressure and countered with Addison in the 86th minute who shot from a tight angle but her effort went just wide for an Arsenal goal-kick. The 4th official indicated a minimum of 5 minutes injury time, Arsenal attacked again Williamson got onto a Tottenham clearance finding Iwabuchi who played in Miedema down the left who shot but her effort was blocked by Neville for an Arsenal corner. McCabe took the corner for Arsenal and found Miedema who jumped between Neville and Zadorsky to head past Korpela to draw Arsenal level. Replay’s show that the goal should not have stood as Miedema leaned on Zadorsky to get more height and had there been VAR the goal should have been disallowed for a foul. Arsenal could have stolen the game right at the end Ayane fouled Little, McCabe took the free-kick and the danger was cleared by Tottenham as far as Miedema as Arsenal again got the ball into the box with Nobbs finding Williamson who was unmarked in the Tottenham box but headed wide of Korpela’s goal before the referee brought the game to an end.

Player of the match.

Our player of the match was a hard decision as Korpela was outstanding between the sticks but we have to give the player of the match to Clemaron. Clemaron was everywhere for Tottenham and had a tough battle with McCabe but stood her ground and was solid in the Tottenham midfield. Clemaron distributed and defended well and was key to Tottenham’s dominance in the second half.

Post match analysis.

As expected Arsenal started the game the strongest of the two teams and enjoyed a lot of possession in the first half. Tottenham struggled to find their rhythm and create any clear chances and was fortunate to not find themselves 1 or 2 goals down at half-time, Korpela was in fine form and gave an standout performance in the Tottenham goal. The second half saw a different Tottenham take to the field as our midfield pushed forward preventing Arsenal from enjoying so much possession. The first clear chance for the 2nd half fell to Tottenham in the 46th minute with Graham having Tottenham’s first chance. Tottenham certainly found a different gear in the 2nd half and for the first time in the 2021-22 season, Arsenal saw themselves behind. We have to give respect to Skinner for her team selection with the exception of Addison benched for Chi, Skinner played what was probably our best 11. The only criticism we found in this game is that Tottenham seemed afraid to come to and play in the first half and gave Arsenal too much space to boss the game.

The second half showed what this Spurs team can do and we believe Tottenham need to come out playing this way more often rather than sitting back. Psychologically Arsenal have the edge and we know the last thing Tottenham want is to get hammered again by Arsenal but by sitting back teams like Arsenal can dictate the game. We saw how Arsenal struggled in the second half when the midfield pushed forward and had less time on the ball. Overall Tottenham fans can be proud, yes it was a blow to concede so late especially with a goal that should have been disallowed for a foul on Zadorsky, but a point against one of the best teams in the WSL is something the players and fans can be proud of. Let hope our Lilwhites can continue this amazing run with a victory next week away to a very solid and organised West Ham side in another London Derby. We just hope Skinner know has found the right starting 11 and stops making so many changes to the lineup.

One last thing we wanted to highlight was the wonderful turnout for this North London Derby with 2896 fans showing up to the Hive for a new attendance record, hopefully, the game keeps growing and there will be another big turnout for our next home match vs Everton on December 19th COYS!!!!

Next match.

Tottenham’s next home match will take place on December 19th against Everton. Tickets for the match can be purchased at https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/tickets/buy-tickets/women/match-tickets/and will be shown live on the FA Player at 14:00.

After a long two week break, the WSL is back as 4th placed Tottenham welcomed 5th place Manchester United to the Hive. Tottenham’s last WSL match saw our Lilywhites lose their first match of the season away to Brighton, but bounced back 3 days later in the Conti Cup beating former Tottenham coach Karen Hills Charlton Athletic 1-0 before the international break.

Line ups.

Tottenham 4-3-3: Korpela in goal, Percival in at right-back, Bartrip and Zadorksy in the center of defence with Neville in at left-back. The Tottenham midfield was made of Cho, Clemaron and Graham. The Tottenham front 3 was made of Naz down the left, Simon down the right with Williams in the center.

Manchester United 4-2-3-1: Earps in goal, Batlle in at right-back, Mannion and Thorisdottir in the centre of defence and Bundell in at left-back. The United midfield was made of Hanson down the right, Zelem, Ladd, Toone and Galton down the left, while Russo was upfront for United in the number 9 role.

First Half.

United started the game the strongest of the two teams as they enjoyed a lot of possession, but it was Tottenham who had the first chance of the game in the 4th minute when Naz shot from an angle, almost catching Earps off guard but the United stopper reacted quickly to prevent the ball going into her top right-hand corner. United kept controlling the possession comfortably as Tottenham struggled to create any chances but the Spurs defence held strong as they kept Toone and Galton at bay. With all of United’s possession, they were unable to test Korpela in the Tottenham goal until the 35th minute when Russo beat Zadorksy but her effort was well saved by Korpela, the loose ball fell to Galton who should have put United 1 up but her effort was well blocked by Percival.

Tottenham came straight back at United and 3 minutes later Naz had a chance for Tottenham as she found herself unchallenged, rushed her shot from distance but her effort sailed over the United bar. After a few stoppages, the 4th official indicated a minimum of 5 minutes of added time. Just as Tottenham was dominating the game United got a goal against the run of play when Russo scored a wonderful goal out of nothing taking on Zadorksy and Neville and blasting from an angle past Korpela before Bartrip could get a challenge in to give United the lead at half-time.

Second Half.

Skinner made a substitute at halftime with Chi replacing Cho, United again started the half the strongest and could have had a second within the first minute of the 2nd half when Leah Galton was allowed to head unchallenged but her effort went wide of Korpela’s goal. Two minutes later United was at it again this time Toone took on Neville and shot from distance but was a comfortable save for Korpela. A minute later Tottenham came straight back at United with Simon latching onto a loose ball and shooting from distance but her effort was way over for a United goal-kick.

Tottenham was almost punished in the 56th minutes when Naz lost the ball in midfield, United broke with Russo who found Galton with a pass but her effort was well blocked and deflected out for a corner by Zadorksy. Tottenham should have had an equaliser in the 65th minute when Graham latched onto a loose ball and shot from distance almost catching Earps off guard but the United stopper managed to get a hand to the ball preventing the Tottenham equaliser. Tottenham finally started to look like they had found their rhythm again and in the 71st minute it was Tottenham who again came close to getting a goal with Naz spotting Earps off her line and shooting from the right but her effort sailed over the United stoppers goal.

Tottenham continued to dominate possession and push United back as they searched for an equaliser but United caught Tottenham on the counter in the 79th minute with Russo on the attack but good defending by Chi put the ball out for a United corner. Staniforth’s corner found Zelem unmarked in the Tottenham box but she was unable to get the header on target as Tottenham got away the loose ball. United had a shout for a penalty waved away in the 83rd minute after there seemed to be a foul by Neville on Russo in the box.

The 4th official Indicated a minimum of 5 minutes stoppage time as Tottenham continued to search for an equaliser. Tottenham came close in the 90th minute when a quick counter by Tottenham led to Neville having a shot from distance but her effort went wide for a United goal-kick. A minute later some wonderful 1-2 play by Green and Chi led to a Chi shot from the left but her effort was just wide of Earps left-hand post. Tottenham finally got their reward in the dying moments of the match when a Tottenham attack lead to a foul on Williams, Percival took the freekick from distance and the ball sailed past everyone and took an awkward bounce in front of Earps as the ball looped in over the United stopper and into the goal for a well-deserved equaliser for the Lilywhites.

United came straight back at Tottenham and almost got a winner when a United attack lead to Galton crossing from the left onto the Tottenham box finding Russo but her effort was well saved by Korpela to deny United a winner with the last kick of the game.

Player of the match.

After the defeat to Brighton, every player gave everything against a very good United team. But our player of that match has to go to Kit Graham, she took a heavy knock early in the match but carried on and fought all game and gave Mary Earps a few problems in goal and deserved to bag herself a goal.

Post match analysis.

Manchester United came into this match with a psychological advantage as our Lilywhites had never taken points against United in the WSL. After defeat two weeks ago against a very solid Brighton side, United came into this game as favourites and in the opening 10 minutes, it was United that showed their class and why they pushed the Chelsea, Arsenal and City all the way last season.

Once Tottenham settled into the game they demonstrated why they have been almost impossible to beat this season. Tottenham still have some work to do to compete with the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea. Once again we feel that Skinner still doesn’t know the strongest 11 that should play. Neville is not the best left-back and Harrop should be playing weekly, Addison should be starting in place of Naz and Chi needs to start improving or will need to be dropped if we want any chance of keeping this run going as fixtures start to become more regular.

Keeping possession is something our Lilywhites have no problem doing this season as they demonstrated against a possession-based United team but more work still needs to be done in midfield to create more clear cut chances and our forwards need to be more clinical. Maybe in January Skinner needs to look at trying to bring in a world-class striker or even look at City and Chelsea at players that are not getting much playing time such as Beth England who would be the perfect finisher that Tottenham needs to finish games off. The next match is a North-London Derby and our Lilywhites need to be clinical in front of goal if we want to take anything from the Gunners. We hope that fans will turn up and back our Spurs Women as they need us to make as much noise as possible against our London rivals. Lets keep pushing and keep this fantatsic run going COYS!!!

Next match.

Our next match needs no introduction, its Arsenal at the Hive and we need all our fans to show up for this one and make as much noise as possible and Spur our Lilywhites to Victory. Tickets can be purchased over at https://bit.ly/3ks0cbw. The match will also be broad cast Live on BBC One at 13.15 this Saturday November 13th.

Tottenham travelled to Crawley looking to extend their unbeaten run in the WSL taking on 7th placed Brighton. Tottenham was looking to build on last weeks 0-2 victory over Leicester City. Highlights of last weeks victory can be viewed below on our YouTube channel.

Line ups:

Brighton: 4-3-3 Walsh in goal, Koivisto in at right-back, Le Tissier and Williams in the centre of defence with Gibbons in at left-back. The Brighton midfield was made of Kaagman, Brazil and Simpkins. The Brighton attack was made of Carter down the right, Whelan down the left and Geum-Min in the centre.

Tottenham: 4-3-3 Spencer in goal, Neville at right-back, Bartrip and Zadorsky in the centre of defence with Harrop in at left-back. The Tottenham midfield was made of Percival, Clemaron and Graham. The Tottenham front three was made of Ayane down the right, Chi down the left and Williams in the centre.

Match Report.

Brighton started the strongest of the two teams, playing with a high line stopping Tottenham from coming out of their half and playing their free-flowing football. Tottenham had a half-chance in the 12th minute when Chi managed to get a shot away from the left but her effort was wide of Walsh’s goal. Tottenham continued to try to create something with Chi down the left and in the 16th-minute good play by Chi down the wing, crossed into the Brighton box trying to find Williams but Le Tissier got her head to the ball just before Williams, putting the ball out for a corner. The corner was taken by Graham who found Neville unmarked but was unable to get her effort on target as the ball sailed wide. Tottenham looked like they had finally settled into the game as the Lilywhites began to regain control of the midfield but was still unable to create any clear chances.

Brighton had a chance in the 23rd minute when a shot from distance from Koivisto went just over Spencer’s bar. Brighton began to regain control of the game as Clemaron was having trouble distributing the ball due to always having two players on her. Brighton came close again in the 33rd minute when good play by Whelan found Kaagman, who shot from distance as her effort just scraped the top of the bar before going over. Brighton continued to pressure high and in the 37th minute it paid off as Min got the opener with a low shot from inside the box to give Brighton the lead. Tottenham should have been level in the 43rd minute when Graham twisted and turned in the middle of the park before getting shot away from distance, but her effort was just over Walsh’s bar. Tottenham almost got an equaliser in the dying second of added time, Graham gathered the ball from midfield and shot from distance but her effort went just wide of Walsh’s goal.

Second Half.

Tottenham made a substitute at halftime with Cho replacing Clemaron, Brighton again started the half the strongest. Tottenham took until the 53rd minute to create something when Graham took on 3 Brighton players and managed to get a cross into the box but V.Williams got there before any attacking Tottenham players to put the ball out for a corner. The Tottenham corner was met by Rachel Williams who headed straight at Walsh from point-blank range. Some sloppy defending almost gifted Brighton a second when a bad pass by Neville gifted the ball to Carter who shot from distance and hitting the bar as Tottenham were let off the hook. Tottenham appealed for a penalty a minute later when Graham seemed to have been fouled inside the Brighton box by V.Williams but the referee waved play on.

Brighton came straight back at Tottenham, Carter was giving Tottenham a horrid time and almost gave Brighton a second with some wonderful play down the wing but Zadorsky tracked well putting Carter under pressure and preventing her from getting a good shot away as Spencer made a comfortable save. Brighton had a little good fortune in the 66th minute when Chi managed to get a shot away from the left, the ball slipped away from Walsh but Williams was unable to turn in the loose ball. Tottenham seemed to have grown into the game with the introduction of Addison, in the 74th minute it was Addison that had a chance to draw Tottenham level when she twisted and tuned taking on Gibbons but was only unable to get a soft shot away, in the end, making it a comfortable save for Walsh.

A minute later things went from bad to worse for Tottenham when Rachel Williams was sent off for a double yellow card. The replays show that there was nothing in the challenge and a second yellow was very harsh but due to no VAR in the women’s game Tottenham was forced to play the remaining 15 minutes with 10. Tottenham refused to go down without a fight and even with 10, Tottenham continued to push forward as Brighton defended with everybody back as Graham’s effort was blocked by a wall of players. Brighton could have had a second in the 84th minute when good play by Brighton, switching the flow of play from left to right found Carter who shot from the edge of the Tottenham box but her effort went just wide of Spencer’s goal. A minute later Brighton had calls for a penalty rejected and was awarded a corner, the Brighton corner found V.Williams in the Tottenham box who was unmarked with plenty of time to decide where she wanted to put the ball and slotted past Spencer to give Brighton their second of the game. Tottenham responded right away with a great interception by Cho, finding Graham with a pass who took on V.Williams and slotted past Walsh to give Tottenham some hope. The officials indicated a minimum of 5 minutes added time, Neville found Graham with a throw, who found tang with a pass who twisted and turned before getting her shot away but her effort was straight at Walsh. Brighton defended with everyone back as Tottenham threw everyone forward looking for an equaliser but the Brighton defence held strong before the game was brought to an end after 6 minutes of added time.

Player of the match.

Our player of the match for the second game in a row goes to Kit Graham. Graham was again at the centre of all of Tottenham’s attacks and score a consolation for our Lilywhites.

Post match analysis.

Brighton was always going to be a tough match, they are always very physical and fight until the end and today was no different. Brighton marked Tottenham’s dangerous players with a 2 on 1 ratio giving Clemaron, Chi and Graham no space to create anything. Again we feel that Skinner got the lineup wrong with starting Ayane who went missing and at times felt like Tottenham were playing with a player less. Another player that we feel needs a rest is Neville who every week is making mistakes that can cost Tottenham goals.

Credit has to go to Brighton who fought from the start and maintained high pressure on our midfielders stopping them from being able to create. Even the always relatable Clemaron had a terrible first half before being substituted for Cho. Tottenham looked more lively from the 55th minute when Cho, Addison and Tang gave Tottenham a different approach which makes us think had Addison and Tang started the result could have been very different.

We knew that this moment would come but I think most of us thought that our first dropped points would have come against Manchester United or Arsenal. Congratulations to Brighton they put in a shift and deserved the points. We must now lift our heads and focus on United after the international break. Good luck to our Lilywhites and we know they will bounce back from this setback, we Spurs fans are proud of the team COYS!!!

Conti Cup

On Wednesday night Tottenham took on former coach Karen Hills and her Addicks in the
Conti Cup. Tottenham are in group C alongside Coventry, Watford and Charlton. Coventry ran out 3-0 winners against Watford while our Lilywhites beat Charlton 1-0 with Tang getting the goal for Tottenham.

Tottenham made many changes from Sunday’s defeat to Brighton with Korpela, Morgan,
Addison, Cho and Tang all getting rare starts, while Molly Bartrip Captained the side for the first time as Shelina Zadorksy was given a well-deserved rest. Tottenham looked like they were still suffering a hangover from Sunday’s defeat and took a while to get going. Charlton came out very physical which seemed like the only way Charlton would be able to stop Tottenham. Angela Addison looked as dangerous as ever giving Kiera Skeels lots of problems in the first half but former Tottenham defender Anna Filbey was always there to cover. Even though this was a very scrappy game Tottenham showed their class as they dominated Charlton but once again need to take advantage of their chances and put the ball in the back of the net.

Some good news for Tottenham was that Kyah Simon came on in the final 27minutes

even though is still not fully match fit, Simon looked good for Tottenham chasing every ball and tracking back to receive the ball from the midfield to try to create something for Tottenham. We were impressed with what we saw from Simon and believe once she is match fit and has had a chance to gel with the team she will most certainly be a starter and a great addition to the squad. Highlights of our Lilywhites first win in the Conti Cup can be seen below on our Youtube channel.

Next match.

Our Lilywhites next WSL match is at home to Manchester United after the international break. Tickets at priced at £6.50 for adults, £4.50 for young adults and £3.50 for kids and concession and can be purchased at https://bit.ly/3auDZUI

It was back to WSL action for Tottenham after crashing out of the FA Cup to Arsenal in midweek. Tottenham started brightly, taking the lead after 3 minutes with a wonderful strike by Williams but unfortunately for our Lilywhites, it all fell apart from there. Again the team selection was wrong, Harrop needs to play at left-back, Addison needs to start as does Graham and maybe these big matches are a bit much for Ale at the moment until she gains more experience.

Tottenham need to make some signings in January because we do not have a bench to compete with the big teams and to add insult to injury Simon is still out with a hamstring injury. We would like to see Addison, Morgan and Korpela start future matches. Highlights of the FA Cup quarterfinal can be views on our Youtube channel below.

Line ups.

Leicester 4-3-3: Levell in goal, Brougham at right-back, Tierney and Plumptre in the centre of defence with McManus at left-back. The Leicester midfield was made of O’Brien, Purfield and Pike while the Leicester attack was made of Cain down the left, Sigsworth down the right and De Graaf in the centre.

Tottenham 4-3-3: Spencer in goal, Neville at right-back, Bartrip and Zadorksy in the centre of defence with Harrop at left-back. The midfield was made of Percival, Clemaron and Graham while the Tottenham attack was made of Chi down the right, Naz down the left and William in the centre.

Match report.

As expected Tottenham started the match the strongest of the two teams, controlling the midfield and making the Leicester players chase the ball. Tottenham’s first chance came in the 10th minute when Graham’s shot was well blocked by Tierney, the rebound came to Percival whose shot went wide of the Leicester goal. Leicester almost gave Tottenham a goal in the 15th minute when Levell complicated herself with a back pass almost losing the ball to Williams but Levell managed to get the ball away to Brougham. Leicester had a half chance in the 26th minute when Neville lost the ball but Sigsworth’s effort was well blocked by Zadorsky to deny Leicester.

Tottenham came close in the 30th minute when a Percival corner found Neville unmarked but her header was well saved by Levelle to deny Tottenham an opener. Leicester struggled to cause Spencer any trouble in the Tottenham goal, Sigsworth was the only Leicester player that looked like they could create something out of nothing but Harrop and Zadorsky were quickly on her to prevent any danger. Tottenham should have had their first goal in the 35th minute when Chi, crossed into the Leicester box, the ball was headed away to a Tottenham player before the ball was centred again into the box to Williams who shot, but her effort went over Levell’s bar.

A minute later Tottenham was again causing Leicester trouble this time it was Chi with some great footwork before shooting as her effort was well saved by Lavell and put out for a corner. Graham took the Tottenham corner which was missed by everyone, Levell came for the ball and managed to get a hand to it before the ball found Williams who shot from close range past Levell to give Tottenham a well-deserved lead on 38 minutes. Tottenham had a chance to get a second a couple of minutes later when Graham found Percival with a clever pass but Percival’s shot was straight at Levell who put the ball over for a corner. Tottenham could have gotten a second at the end of the first half when Chi found Williams with a cross but Williams headed over the bar from point-blank range.

Second half.

The second half started quite equal with Leicester growing slightly back into the game. It was Tottenham that had the first chance of the second half in 53rd minute when William’s found Graham with a pass who crossed into the box finding Percival who shot from inside the box but her effort was saved by Levell, the rebound came out to Chi whose shot was also blocked before going out for a Tottenham corner. Leicester almost got back into the game on the 56th minute against the run of play when a clumsy challenge by Neville lead to a Leicester free-kick which was met by Plumptre who was unmarked in the Tottenham box but she was unable to turn in her effort as Tottenham was let off the hook. Three minutes later on the 59th minute when an unjust foul was given against substitute Ale, the Leicester free-kick was again met by Plumptre but her effort was saved well by Spencer who put the ball over for a corner.

Tottenham kept pushing for a second and in the 69th minute, a great tackle by Percival lead to a Tottenham break with Percival shooting from distance but her shot went just wide of Levell’s left-hand post. Tottenham came straight back at Leicester 2 minutes later when a good interception by Ale lead to a Tottenham counter, Ale found Graham with a pass but Graham‘s shot went wide. Leicester struggled to get out of their half as Tottenham comfortably controlled the midfield and good passing play by Tottenham in the 71st minute almost lead to a second when Graham found Clemaron down the right who played a wonderful ball into the Leicester box finding Graham with the pass but again Graham’s effort went wide of Levell’s goal.

Tottenham missed a great opportunity to punish Leicester in the 77th minute when a Graham corner found Williams unmarked but her header from point black range was straight at Levell who denied Tottenham and Williams a second. Leicester almost snatched an equaliser in the 84th minute when a rare Leicester attack led to a corner, Tottenham’s defence was caught napping as the corner was met by Flint unmarked but her header went just wide of Spencer’s goal. Tottenham finally got their reward in the 87th minute when Tottenham countered with a move started by Clemaron who found Ayane with a pass, Ayane found Williams down the right who centred into the Leicester box finding substitute Addison who slotted past Levelle to give Tottenham a deserved 2nd goal.

After the 4th official indicated a minimum of 6 minutes injury time, Tottenham keep looking for a 3rd goal as they passed the ball well in midfield looking for gaps in the Leicester defence but Leicester managed to hold out the Tottenham attack before the game was brought to an end.

Player of the match.

There were a few players that stood out today, Clemaron was on form again as was Percival who was solid in midfield but our player of that match has to go to Kit Graham. Graham got stuck in today and was at the centre of everything Tottenham created and should have had a couple of goals herself.

Post match analysis.

Tottenham bounced back from the FA Cup midweek defeat in style, Tottenham dominated the game against a Leicester side that looked afraid to come out and attack after losing all 3 of their previous matches. Tottenham again suffered from the same issue which is not taking their opportunities and missing too many chances. Chi looked dangerous again down the left flank but we stress again that Addison needs to start matches down the right to really cause other teams problems. Clemaron bossed the midfield alongside Percival as Tottenham dominated and we can only hope that when Kyah Simon returns from injury our Lilywhites can take their chances and punish teams at every opportunity.

Tottenham now travel to Brighton next week before our Lilywhites face two difficult matches at home with Manchester United and Arsenal visiting Tottenham in match day 6 and 7 of the WSL. Skinner needs to realise that Addison and Graham need to start matches along with Tang who have proven to be game changers and start dropping Naz, Ayane and Williams who are reserve players at the very best. For now we are on a HUGE high and must celebrate this clubs amazing achievements so far this season, second in the table behind Arsenal on goal difference is huge for this team who keep creating history. We are will be cheering these inspirational women from home next week, as we hope to get another 3 points before the international break COYS!!

Next match.

Tottenham’s next match is away to Brighton. The match will be played on Sunday October 10th at 14:00pm. The match can be seen live on the FA Player over at https://faplayer.thefa.com/home/all or the FA Player app.

After a break for international football, the WSL was back as Tottenham welcomed Reading to the Hive for the first home match to take place at Edgware. Reading sat in 11th place after losing their first two opening matches before kick-off, while our Lilywhites were in 4th with 2 wins out of 2. Highlights of our Lilywhites historical result against City can be viewed below on our Youtube channel.

Line ups.

Tottenham: 4-3-3 Spencer in goal, Ale at right-back with Bartrip and Zadorksy in the centre of defence with Neville at left-back. The Tottenham midfield was made of Percival, Clemaron and Graham while the Tottenham front three was made of Chi down the left, Naz down the right and Williams in the centre.

Reading: 4-3-3 Moloney in goal, Bryson at right-back, Cooper and Evans in the centre of defence with Rose at left-back. The Reading midfield was made of Harding, Peplow and Dowie. The Reading front 3 was made of Chaplen down the right, Vanhaevermaet down the left and Harries in the centre.

Match Report.

Before kick-off there was a minutes applause by both teams for the late Jimmy Greaves.

Pressure was on Tottenham to win their opening match at the Hive. Tottenham took some time to get going as both teams struggled to find their rhythm. Tottenham gave away a silly free-kick in the first minute of the game which resulted in Graham miskicking the ball which could have gone in but Spencer reacted quickly. Most of the play in the first 10 minutes took place in the middle of the park with neither team getting any clear chances. Tottenham has a half chance with Williams who miscontrolled the ball which would have seen her one on one with Moloney.

A minute later Tottenham came close again when wonderful play by Clemaron found Graham. Tottenham was almost punished in the 20th minute when a miscontrol from the always reliable Molly Bartrip gave the ball to Rose who found herself one on one with Spencer but the Tottenham stopper was quick off her line to prevent a Reading goal. Tottenham came back at Reading a minute later as Neville stole the ball from the edge of the Reading box and shot from distance but her effort went just wide of Moloney’s right-hand post.

Reading had a rare opportunity in the 27th minute when Naz lost the ball down the right to Rose who shot from distance but her effort was well blocked by Percival. Tottenham came back at Reading in the 29th minute with Chi as she ran past the Reading players but was hacked down on the edge of the Reading box. Percival took the Tottenham free-kick but the ball went just over Moloney’s bar. Tottenham had another chance in the 39th minute with Kit Graham after wonderful play by Percival but Graham’s shot was well saved by Moloney, the rebound came to Chi who picked out Percival with a pass but Percival’s shot was blocked on the line by Evans to deny Tottenham an opener.

Second Half.

Tottenham started the second half strongly when Chi broke free but her shot was blocked by Cooper for a Tottenham Corner. 2 minutes later Graham cut in from the right and unleashed a shot but her effort went just wide of Moloney’s left-hand post. Tottenham was almost made to pay in the 50th minute when Spencer miscontrolled a Zadorksy back pass under pressure from Dowie, but managed to get herself out of a complicated situation to find Neville with a pass. 2 minutes later Reading came back at Tottenham with Rose playing a one-two with Peplow before taking on Ale and shooting from distance with her effort going just over Spencer’s bar.

Tottenham came straight at Reading and should have had the lead after wonderful play by Ale down the wing who whipped in a cross to find Williams who headed from point-blank range but Moloney made herself big and blocked Rachel’s effort to deny Tottenham again. Tottenham was causing Reading lots of trouble down the right with Chi, in the 55th minute, Chi picked out Williams who shot from distance but her effort went just wide.

In the 77th minute, it was Graham again who tested Moloney after a shot from distance almost wrong-footed the Reading keeper, Moloney recovered well and managed to get a hand to the ball to keep out Graham’s effort. Tottenham got lucky in the 79th minute when an awkward bounce seemed to hit Zadorsky’ hand but the linesman raised the flag for a foul committed on the Canadian.

Tottenham finally got their reward for all their hard work in the 84th minute when wonderful play by substitute Tang found Naz who found herself one on one with Moloney and slotted past the Reading keeper to give Tottenham a deserved lead. Tottenham kept coming at Reading looking for a 2nd, 3 minutes later a wonderful ball by Williams picked out Naz who took on the Reading defence before unleashing a shot which ended up being comfortably saved by Moloney. The 4th official indicated a minimum of 4 minutes injury time and Tottenham was almost made to pay at the death as Neville had the ball stolen off her by Bryson after holding up play in the Tottenham left corner, crossed into the Tottenham box but Vanhaevermaet’s header went just wide of Spencer’s left-hand post before the game came to an end.

Player of the match.

Our player of the match goes to Maeve Clemaron who again had a fantastic game. Clemaron was all over the pitch defending, attacking and playing wonderful balls to the forwards, definitely our stand out player.

Post match analysis.

Another debatable starting 11 by Skinner, we really do not know when the coach will realise that Angela Addison needs to start, despite the Rachel Williams goal against Manchester City we need to be adapting Simon and Tang now against lower teams before taking on the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal which we face this coming Wednesday in the FA Cup Quarterfinals. Even though it took Tottenham some time to get going they were the better team and should have won the game by more than one goal.

Tang again like against Birmingham showed how she can change games and was instrumental in Tottenham’s goal. Hopefully against Arsenal on Wednesday and Leicester next weekend we will see the likes of Tang and Addison starting for the Lilywhites. Overall Tottenham fans can be happy with the team’s performance but we need to be more clinical in front of goal because other teams will not give Tottenham so many chances to score. We understand the team is still adapting and we are sure this team will finally find their shooting boots and will become a difficult team to beat. For now, we sit 2nd in the table behind Arsenal on goal difference and we must enjoy this fantastic start to the season COYS!

Next match.

Tottenham’s next home match will be in the Conti Cup against former Tottenham’s coach, Karen Hills Charlton Athletic. Tottenham women’s season ticket holders will be able to gain entry to the match with the season ticket cards. Tickets for non-members are price at £6.50 for adults, £4.50 for young adults and £3.50 for concession tickets.

Matchday 2: Manchester City vs Tottenham.

Matchday 2 saw our Lilywhites travel to the Academy Stadium to take on Manchester City. Both Teams won their opening WSL matches but, after a disappointing week for City by crashing out of the Women’s Champions League, the Citizens were looking to make Tottenham pay and extend their lead at the top of the WSL table.

Highlights of last weeks opening WSL match against Birmingham can be seen on our Youtube channel.

Line ups.

Manchester City started in a 4-3-3 with Taieb in goal with Morgan in at right-back, Houghton and Kennedy in the centre of defence while Greenwood was in at left-back. The City midfield was made of Losada, Coombs and Stanway. The City front line was made of Beckie down the right, White in the middle and Hemp down the left.

Tottenham started in a 4-3-3 with Spencer in goal, Ale in at right-back, Bartrip and Zadorsky in the centre of defence with Neville in at left-back. The Midfield was made of Green, Percival and Clemaron. The Tottenham front 3 were made of Naz, Williams and Austrian international Kyah Simon who made her Tottenham debut.

Match report.

As expected Manchester City came out dominating possession as Tottenham struggled to get out of their half. It took City just 5 minutes to threaten the Tottenham goal but good defending by Zadorksy prevented Ellen white getting to cross. As a result Greenwood took the City corner and it was met by Lauren Hemp who was unmarked heading past Spencer to give City an early lead. After a long pause in the game due to a clash between Esme Morgan and Neville, City continued to pin Tottenham back as City looked to double their lead. Neville was having a hard time dealing with Beckie as the Canadian kept getting the best of Neville and getting crosses into the Tottenham box.

City came close in 22nd minute when Hemp got the best of Ale down the left and crossed a perfect ball for White to head but Zadorksy got there ahead of the England international to head the ball out for a corner. Two minutes later City were at it again with great play by Vicky Losada to Hemp down the left by Hemp’s shot went just wide of Spencer’s post. Less than a minute later Tottenham were almost punished when Neville had the ball stolen by Stanway on the edge of the Tottenham box before shooting as her shot bounced back out after hitting the outside of Spencers left post. Asmita Ale was struggling down the right against Hemp as the England international was getting past the teenager with ease and on 30 minutes good play by Hemp found Angeldal’s head but her effort was superbly saved by Spencer in the Tottenham goal. A minute later Hemp again got the best of Ale and crossed deep into the Tottenham box but Beckie who was unmarked was unable to reach it as Tottenham were let off.

Tottenham had a rare half chance in the 39th minute when good play by Naz down the right played a through ball to Kyah Simon down the centre of the City defence but former Tottenham player Kennedy came across to cover and just got to the ball before Simon putting the ball out for a corner. After the collision between Neville and Morgan at the start of the game the 4th official indicated a minimum of 8 minutes injury time. Beckie could have again doubled City’s lead in the 49th minute when Greenwood got the best of Ale and found Beckie in the Tottenham box but fortunately for Tottenham, the Canadian hit her effort with so much power she missed the target. Spencer came to Tottenham’s rescue again in the 52nd minute when a Greenwood corner was met by Alanna Kennedy but a fantastic save by Spencer’s denied the former Tottenham player a goal on her debut.

Second half.

Tottenham made a change at half time with Chi coming on for Green. City dominated the opening 5 minutes of the second half but Tottenham finally started to get into the game and had their first chance of the game in the 56th minute when a clever ball over the top by Ale found Percival but her shot was straight at Taieb in the City goal. Tottenham made their second change of the match in the 59th minute when Graham replaced Simon. Kit had an immediate impact on the game and a minute after coming on Graham played a great pass to Chi who held up play well before picking out Williams in the City box as Williams shot past Taieb to put Tottenham level.

Tottenham started to gain more control of the midfield after the goal as they bagan to created more chances but City were always going to be a danger and in the 75th minute City had a chance when Shaw played a 1-2 with Park, Zadorksy thought about making the challenge but didn’t want to give away a penalty and Park was denied just before pulling the trigger. A minute later City were at it again when a shot from Stanway from distance was stopped well by Spencer to deny the England international. 5 minutes later City came again looking for a winner, Ale who improved in the second half was caught short but Hemp who found Angeldal but the Swedish international hit her effort so hard it flew over the Tottenham bar un-troubling Spencer. Tottenham brought on the always dangerous Angela Addison in the 83rd minute replacing Jessica Naz. It took Addison just 3 minutes to have an impact on the game when in the 86th minute after good player by Addison down the right, crossed into the City box finding Ayane who headed the ball pass Taieb to give Tottenham the 2-1 lead. Replays showed that the ball came off Ayane’s hands before hitting Houghton and being turned into her own net but due to no VAR in the women’s game the goal was given as Tottenham got away with that controversial goal.

City came straight back at Tottenham looking for the equaliser with Shaw one on one with Spencer but the Tottenham stopper stood strong to deny her Jamaican team mate. The 4th official indicated a minimum of 7 minutes injury time, City threw everything at Tottenham and in the 93rd minute after Zadorksy left the pitch injured, White had her first clear chances of the game but was unable to connect and turn in the cross for the equaliser. Tottenham’s defence held strong as our Lilywhites closed the final minutes by just getting rid of the ball upfield as Graham held up play deep in the City half before the game came to an end and Tottenham recorded their first ever win against top opposition and ending City’s 33 unbeaten run.

Player of the match.

This was a tough one because Spencer was superb between the sticks for Tottenham and had it not been for her Tottenham could have gone into the break at least 3 down but our player of the match is split has to go to our captain Zadorksy and Spencer. Shelina was everywhere and before her injury made sure to not let Ellen white have a sniff at goal and did superbly in covering Neville as she struggled to cope with Beckie down the right. Therefore our player of the match goes to Spencer and Zadorksy.

Post match analysis.

We saw two different Tottenham sides against City, the Tottenham that we expected to get dominated by City and in the second half a Tottenham that we expect to push top opposition. Tottenham did ride their luck at times and had it not been for Spencer and Zadorsky it could have been game over by half time. Let’s not take anything away from Tottenham, they showed a fighting spirit that they lacked last season and responded in the second half in a way unknown to most Tottenham fans. Lets remember that City were missing many key players like Walsh, Bronze and Kelly but City have a bench stronger than most squads first teams. Yes Tottenham rode their luck and any other night it would have been over before half-time but credit has to go to Skinner and the team for how they responded in the second half.

We have to wait to see what this Tottenham team is capable of as its only 2 games and we have a lot of new signing that still need time to gel together. If we have learnt something from the first two WSL matches its that Chi and and Addison need to start down either wing with Graham behind the forward, while Naz and Williams need to be substitutes. Another criticism is that maybe Harrop should be playing at left-back as Neville has not been her self for a while now and is becoming a liability in the Tottenham defence.

We understand that the squad is still new and getting to know one another but Tottenham needs to start matches against big opposition like they played in the second half. Tottenham can not rely on good fortune in every big match and if they want to push the top teams they need to start big matches on the front foot. We won’t be too critical as this is a historical moment and last season Tottenham were a victim of bad fortune but we would like to see Tottenham do what Manchester United did last season and push top opposition convincingly by showing that they can compete with the likes of Chelsea, City and Arsenal. With time Tottenham can get there with a few tweaks to be the starting 11. For now, we will enjoy this historical moment, congratulations to the team we are very proud of your achievements and we can’t wait to see you against Reading at the Hive COYS.

Season ticket update.

Many have been wondering what is happening regarding 2021-22 season tickets. Tottenham have announced that those who have purchased a 2021/22 Women’s Season Ticket will be receiving their Season Ticket cards in the post during the week commencing September 20th. If there are any issue contact Tottenham directly and they will be able to arrange for season ticket cards to be collected at the Hive before the Reading game on September 26th.

Next Match.

There is no WSL action next week so we have to wait until September 26th to see our Lilywhites take on Reading at the Hive. The match will be broadcast live on the FA Player and will kick-off at 14:00pm. Tickets for that match are available at https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/tickets/buy-tickets/women/match-tickets/ prices are set at £6.50 for adults, £4.50 for young adults and £3.50 for concession.

The WSL is back.

After what feels like a very long off season the WSL is back and what a way to kick off the 2021-22 season than a home game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. After a quiet pre-season and a lot of new additions, it was back to business.

Our Lilywhites have played two pre-season friendlies, one against Arsenal in the Mind Series and against Celtic at ST George’s park. We don’t believe our Lilywhites have had enough time to gel the new players but with some of the talent that Skinner and her team have brought in the team should hopefully adapt very quickly.

Line ups.

Tottenham: started with a 4-3-3 with Kopela in goal, Ale in at right-back, Bartrip and Zadorksy in the centre of defence with Neville in at left-back. The midfield was made of Percival, Green and Clemaron, while the front three were made of Naz down the right, Williams in the centre and Graham down the left.

Birmingham: went for 4-3-3 with Ramsey goal, Smith in at right-back, with Lawley and Quinn in the centre of defence with Holloway in at left-back. The Birmingham midfield was made of Pennock, Robertson and Whipp while the Birmingham front free was made of Sarri down the left, Ewens in the centre and former Tottenham favourite Lucy Quinn down the Right.

Match report.

Tottenham started the game the strongest out of the two teams but was unable to create any clear chances except for a shot wide from the left by Naz in the 8th minute. Tottenham kept threatening the Birmingham goal and in the 16th minute Josie green came close after a wonderfully whipped in ball by Neville, but Green was unable to get the ball around Ramsey in the Birmingham goals as both players clashed.

Tottenham continued to control the midfield and dominated possession, a clever pass by Zadorksy in the 20th minute found Kit Graham but her effort went just wide of Ramsey’s goal. Birmingham’s first chance of the game in the 25th minute after wonderful play by Lucy Quinn in the Birmingham half found Whipp down the left-wing who cut the ball back but the Birmingham effort was just wide of Korpela’s goal. Tottenham kept pushing for an opener and in the 30th minute it was Kit Graham again who tested Ramsey in the Birmingham goal with a shot from distance but her effort was a little soft and gathered easily in the end by Ramsey.

Tottenham finally got their breakthrough in the 40th minute when Graham played a one-two from the corner with Percival before whipping in a cross into the Birmingham box, Clemaron missed the header as the ball went straight in past Ramsey to give Tottenham a deserved lead. Tottenham kept on the pressure and could have easily had a second on 45th minute after a foul from Robertson on Naz. Graham took the Tottenham free-kick from distance almost catching Ramsey off guard but the Birmingham keeper palmed away before the ball was put out for a corner.

Second Half.

Tottenham came out in the second half unchanged, like in the first half, Tottenham came out dominant and controlled the midfield but was unable to create any chances to threaten Ramsey’s goal. Tottenham’s first chance of the second half came in the 51st minute when Kit Graham broke from midfield twisting and turning Louise Quinn before shooting with her left but her effort was too hard and flew over the Birmingham crossbar. Tottenham’s first substitute of the game came in the 52nd minute when new signing Tang replaced Kit Graham. Tottenham kept up the pressure as Birmingham struggled to get out of their half and when they did they were quickly stopped in their tracks by Josie Green and Ria Percival.

Tottenham’s first clear chance of the second half came in the 62nd minute when Birmingham was caught short playing out the back with an interception by Josie Green, the ball fell to Tang who shot from the edge of the box but her effort went just wide of Ramsey’s right-hand post. Less than a minute later Tang came close again when Ramsey’s goal kick reached the halfway line and was strongly headed by Clemaron to Tang who shot again from the edge of the box this time her shot going just wide of Ramsey’s left-hand post.

After having a solid performance in midfield, Josie Green decided to get in on the act and came close in the 68th minute after Naz found Green down the right before shooting from distance but her effort was straight into Ramsey’s hands. Tottenham should have had more than one goal with all their chances and in 72nd minute Naz came close for Tottenham after a wonderful 1-2 with Tang before taking on Jamie Finn in the Birmingham defence but only managed to shoot straight at Ramsey. Birmingham had a rare attack on 79 minutes with Sarri shooting from Distance but Kopela was alert and made a comfortable save to prevent the equaliser.

Tottenham’s third substitute came in the 80th minute with Angela Addison coming on for Josie Green. Addison had an immediate impact on the game and came close to doubling Tottenham’s lead just 3 minute after coming on. Birmingham tried to come out of their half but the ball was intercepted by Neville before being picked up by Addison who used her speed to take on the Birmingham defenders and shot from distance but her effort just scraped the top of the bar before going over for a Birmingham goal-kick. Two minutes later it was pocket rocket Angela Addison who again came close for Tottenham after latching onto a ball by Jessica Naz and taking on Gemma Lawley and shooting with her left but her effort just hit the side netting. The 4th official signalled for a minimum of 4 minutes and this is when we saw Birmingham try to snatch a later equaliser but Korpela was solid in the Tottenham goal preventing the visitors from grabbing a point at the death.

Player of the match.

The player of the match for us goes to Molly Bartrip. She was solid in defence and didn’t put a foot wrong all game and was superb in covering both flanks when needed. Bartrip looks to have settled quickly and is becoming the perfect partner for Zadorksy in defence.

Post match analysis.

Tottenham dominated Birmingham from start to finish and we certainly saw a different Tottenham to that, that we had seen last season. Having the crowd at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium gave the team a much-needed boost and in all fairness should have come away from the game with more than just 1 goal. The introduction of Angela Addison in the second half proved again why she should be a regular starter and had 3 clear chances on her own. Clemaron had another solid performance in the midfield as the creative midfielder which Tottenham hugely missed last season. Other standout performers were Amita Ale down the right and Molly Bartrip in the centre of defence who both looked like they had been playing at Tottenham for years rather than being new recruits. We have to remember to not get too over excited as this weekends match to Manchester City will be a different type of class and a game that Tottenham will need their shooting boots on if they want any type of result at the Academy Stadium. For now we can enjoy the victory and hope for many more top performances as our Lilywhites go to top last seasons end of season standings.

Next match.

Tottenham take on Manchester City next Sunday September 12th at 18.45 live on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event.

In this special, we take a look at the new arrivals at Tottenham Hotspur Women. After seeing 11 players leave, there was A LOT of rebuilding to be done over the summer.

Vicky Jepson.

Vicky joins Tottenham as Rehanne Skinner’s assistant after Lauren Smith left in the summer to coach Bristol City. Jepson’s career started at Liverpool in 2009, working in various coaching roles including every elite girl’s pathway from U11’s – U21’s. Vicky has also worked for The FA at excellence camps which helped develop the countries best young players and in 2014 Jepson was nominated for a FA Female Development Coach Of The Year Award which she won.

In 2018 Jepson was appointed Liverpool assistant manager to Neil Redfearn but Redfearn departed after just one game in charge leaving Vicky Jepson and Chris Kirkland to cover until Jepson was appointed the first team manager. In 2018 Jepson worked with the England U17’s and guiding them to the 2018 European Championship Finals. Jepson guided Liverpool to 8th position out of 12 in her first season in charge. In 2019 Liverpool was relegated on a points per game basis with 8 matches to play after the league was suspended due to Covid-19. Vicky Jepson’s first sit down interview for Tottenham can be found below.

Maéva Clemaron.

Another new arrival to the club is French midfielder Clemaron Maéve who arrives from Everton, signing until the end of the 2022 season with the option to extend for another year. Clemaron started her career at Lyon’s youth team before moving to AS Saints-Étienne in 2008 where she made over 100 appearances for the club before moving to FC Fleury 91 in 2017. In 2018 Clemaron was called into the France squad and was part of the French 2019 World Cup squad that was beaten by the U.S.A in the World Cup Quarter-Finals.

In 2019 Clemaron joined Everton from FC Fleury 91, Clemaron was part of the Everton team that reached the FA Cup Final in 2020, eventually losing 3-1 to Manchester City after extra time. After 2 years at Everton, Maéva Clemaron leaves the Toffee’s who finished in 5th position and signed for Tottenham where she will no doubt be an important part of the Tottenham midfield as our Lilywhites look to rebuild for a successful 2021-22 season. More information on Maeve’s arrival can be read over at https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/2021/july/maeva-clemaron-signs-for-spurs-women/ Welcome to Tottenham Maeve.

Tinja-Riikka Korpela.

After the departure of Aurora Mikalsen, Tottenham needed to bring in a new goalkeeper and that is exactly what Rehanne Skinner and her team have done. Korpela is a Finnish goalkeeper who has 98 caps to her name for her national team. Korpela has joined until the end of the 2021-22 season with the option to extend for a further season. Korpela started her career at FC Honka in Finland in 2006 where she spent 3 seasons and won 3 league titles in 2006, 2007 and 2008 before moving to the Norwegian side Kolbotn for one season. After season-long spells at LSK Kvinner and Tyeso FF, Korpela moved to German giants Bayern Munich in 2014 where she spent 3 seasons winning the German league title in 2014-15 and 2015-16. After Korpela’s contract was terminated early by Bayern Munich, Korpela moved to the Norwegian side Valerenga before signing with Everton in 2019. The 35 year old will no doubt will bring experience which will better our goalkeepers. More about Tinja’s arrival can be read over at https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/2021/july/tinja-riikka-korpela-joins-spurs-women/ Welcome to Tottenham Tinja we can’t wait to see you in action.

Tang Jiali.

Tang Jiali is Tottenham women’s first-ever Chinese player and is a forward that has joined on loan from Shanghai Shengli. At 26 years of age, the forward began her career at Jiangsu Suning in 2013 before moving to Shanghai Shengli in 2016 for a season. In 2018 Jiali rejoined Jiangsu Suning where she helped the team to the Chinese Super League title before returning to Shanghai Shengli in 2020. Jiali has made 15 appearances for China with her debut coming in 2014 against the U.S.A and was nominated for the Best Young Player Of The Tournament at the 2015 World Cup in Canada. More information about Tang’s loan can be read over at https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/2021/july/tang-jiali-joins-spurs-women/ We wish Tang Jiali the best of luck and hope she nets many goals for Lilywhites.

Asmita Ale.

Asmita Ale is a 19-year-old defender who has joined Tottenham until the end of the 2023 season. Ale started her career at Aston Villa in 2018 making 46 appearances and scoring 2 goals. Ale has represented England at U17 (2017), U18 (2018) and U19 level (2019). Ale was part of the Villa team that earned promotion from the FA WSL 2 to the Championship in 2018. Ale was also part of the team that earned promotion to the WSL in 2020 after finishing 6th with Villa in 2019 the year our Lilywhites gained promotion to the WSL for the first time in club history. Ale was named players player of the season for the 2020-21 season and is a versatile defender that already looks like a future star despite her young age. More information can be found at https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/2021/august/asmita-ale-signs-from-villa/ Welcome to Tottenham Asmita.

Chioma Ubogagu (Chi).

28-year-old Chi has joined Tottenham from Real Madrid and has signed with Tottenham until the end of the 2023 season. Born in London Chi started her career at Coppell Cowgirls in 2007. Chi started her senior career at Pali Blues in the U.S in 2013 before moving to Arsenal in 2015. After 1 season at Arsenal where Chi bagged 6 goals in 14 appearances for the Gunners before moving back to the states with the Huston Dash. Things didn’t go as planned for Chi at Houston netting just once in 15 appearances for the club.

In 2017 Chi joined the Orlando Pride where she shared the pitch with Tottenham captain Shelina Zadorsky and former Tottenham players Alanna Kennedy and Alex Morgan. Chi netted 12 times for the Pride in 58 appearances and was part of the Pride team that finished 3rd, the highest they have ever finished reaching the NWSL Playoff’s semi-finals. After 2 seasons at Orlando Chi then joined CD Tacon/Real Madrid scoring 7 goals in 29 appearances. Chi has represented the U.S at U18 (2008), U20 (2012) and U23 (2014) level before switching to England in 2018. Chi made her senior debut against Austria and scored in England’s 3-0 victory. Chi is a quick forward that can also play in midfield and will give defences a headache down the wing. More information about Chi’s arrival can be found at https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/2021/july/chioma-ubogagu-signs-for-spurs-women/ Welcome to Tottenham Chi.

Eleanor Helps.

18-year-old Eleanor Heeps has joined Tottenham from Liverpool until the end of the 2024 season but will join Blackburn Rovers on loan for the 2021-22 season. Heeps is an England U19 international and no doubt will be the future of Tottenham. We wish Eleanor the best of luck while on loan and look forward to welcoming her to Tottenham in 2022. More information on Elanor Heeps deal can be read over at https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/eleanor-heeps-joins-spurs-women/

Kyah Simon.

Kyah Simon is a 30-year-old Australian international striker that has over 100 caps for her country. Simon has joined Tottenham from PSV until the end of the 2023 season. Simon started her career at Central Coast Mariners in the Australian W-League in 2008. In 2009 Simon moved to Sydney FC where she scored 23 times in 41 appearances winning the W-League Championship and Premiership 2009 before winning the Championship again in 2011 and the Premiership in 2013 with Sydney.

After 4 seasons with Sydney Simon moved to the U.S and joined the Boston Breakers where she scored 16 goals in 30 appearances. After a season at Boston, Simon returned to Australia where she joined Western Sydney Wanderers before rejoining Sydney FC from 2014-2017. After helping Australia reach the 2015 World Cup quarter-final, Simon rejoined the Boston Breakers for 1 season. In 2017 Kyah joined Melbourne City where she netted 10 goals in 30 appearances and helped the team to the Championship in the 2017-2018 season. After a successful spell at Melbourne, Simon Joined the Houston Dash for a season before moving to PSV in 2020. More information on Kyah Simon’s arrival can be read over at https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/2021/august/kyah-simon-completes-move/ For those that know very little about Kyah Simon and are wondering what she can do, here is a little video to get Tottenham fans excited ahead of the new WSL season.

Welcome to Tottenham Kyah.

Molly Bartrip.

Molly Bartrip has signed from Reading until the 2023 season. The 25-year old defender has returned home to where it all began for her. Bartrip started her career at Tottenham in their youth set-up before joining Charlton. Bartrip joined Reading in 2014 where she has spent her entire professional career (7 years). Bartrip has represented England at U17 (2011), U19 (2013), U20 (2016) and U23 level (2016). Bartrip was impressive for Reading last season from what we saw and for us she was one of the stand out performers at the Mind Series in the defeat to Arsenal and truly didn’t deserve to be on the losing side. We have high hopes for Molly and believe she will be the perfect partner for Shelina Zadorsky in the centre of defence. More about her arrival can be read over at https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/2021/july/molly-bartrip-completes-move/ Welcome to home Molly.

Gracie Pearse.

Defender Gracie Pearse has joined Tottenham from Championship side Crystal Palace, signing a deal until the end of the 2023 season. The 18-year-old defender will remain on loan at Crystal Palace for the 2021-22 season to gain more experience. The England U21 international made 7 appearances for Palace last season and no doubt if everything goes as planned will be part of the future of Tottenham and England. More information about Gracie’s arrival can be read over at https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/2021/july/gracie-pearse-signs-for-spurs-women/ Welcome to Tottenham Gracie, we can’t wait to see you in a Tottenham jersey when you from your loan spell.

Next Match.

Tottenham’s WSL season kicks off this Saturday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium where they will take on former Tottenham player Lucy Quinn and her Birmingham City team. The game has been moved from the Hive and will kick off at 3 pm. Tickets for the match are still available and can be purchased via e-ticketing at https://www.eticketing.co.uk/tottenhamhotspur/EDP/Event/Index/8875. Tickets are priced at £6.50 for adults, £4.50 for young adults and £3.50 for seniors and juniors. All tickets will have a £1.75 booking fee added to the total per ticket. If you are unable to attend, the match will be broadcast live via the FA Player website https://faplayer.thefa.com/home/all and via the FA Player app which is available for both Apple and Android.

The date is May 9th 2021 and Our Lilywhites traveled to Birmingham for their final WSL match of the 2020-21 campaign. Tottenham have not face Birmingham yet this season as during their last meeting Birmingham did not show due to a shortage of available players. As a result, Tottenham was awarded the three-point by the FA in March. The last time Tottenham faced Birmingham was in December 2019 when Kit Graham scored to earn our Lilwhites a point at Solihull.

Tottenham was looking to end the season on a high after defeat to Champions Chelsea on Wednesday. We knew that Chelsea was always going to be tough especially without our fans in the ground to cheer on our Lilywhites. It should come as no surprise that Chelsea started the strongest of the two teams despite a hard-fought Champion League match last Sunday. Tottenham did have the first chance of the game when Rianna Dean latched onto an Addison pass after some good play by Cho in the middle of the park but Dean rushed her effort shooting straight at Berger. 

From there it was all Chelsea, we weren’t pinned back and made to suffer, it’s just as usual we have no playmaker to get the ball to the forwards. We were excited when we heard the announcement of Cho but so far she has been a disappointment and wouldn’t be surprised if she was sent back to the Hammers once her loan expires. 

A lot of credit has to go to the Tottenham backline, Zadorksy was key as usual in containing the Chelsea threat and Spencer was again in top form just as she was a couple of weeks ago against Manchester United. Our best player going forward was Lucy Quinn by a mile. There was a huge improvement by our defence as we really frustrated the Chelsea front line and for once the defence did not crack under pressure or when going behind. We must feel for the team because both Chelsea goals could have been prevented had we been a little more alert but we are so very proud of the hard work our players put in and to lose just by 2 soft goals against the Champions is a huge achievement for our team giving the results against the top 4 sides recently. Highlights of the Chelsea match can be found below.

Renovation news.

This week Tottenham fans received some of the best news that we could have hoped for this season with club Captain Shelina Zadrosky signing a new contract keeping her at the club for at least another season.

Zadorsky has been a much needed re-enforcement in the Tottenham defence and her class and experience has deservedly earned her the captains armband. Shelina’s sit down interview can be viewed below.

We hope as well as some much-needed additions to the squad, Tottenham will announce contract renewals for Kennedy, Quinn, Mikalsen and more but we will touch on that in our end of season special in a couple of weeks.

Congratulations are also in order for Becky Spencer who has been called up for the first time for Jamaica to face the U.S.A, Portugal and Nigeria in the 2021 Summer series in Houston Texas which begins on June 10th with Jamaica taking on Nigeria in the opening match.

Birmingham vs Tottenham lineup.

Birmingham lined up in 4-3-3 with Hampton in goal, Scott in at right-back, Brougham and Mace in the centre of defence while Holloway was in at left-back. The Birmingham midfield was made of Napier, Green and Whipp. The Blues front line was made of Mayling down the right, Murphy down the left and Walker in the number 9 role.

Tottenham lined up in a 4-3-3 with Spencer in goal, Neville in at right-back, McManus and Zadorsky in the centre of defence with Harrop in at left-back. The midfield was made of Cho, William and Peplow whilst our front line was made of Quinn down the right-wing, Graham down the left-wing and Naz in the number 9 role.

Match report.

In what was meant to be a battle of two quite evenly match sides, It was Tottenham that started the strongest of the two teams. Tottenham enjoyed more possession but was unable to do anything with it for the first 10 minutes. Tottenham’s biggest issue was Neville in defence who was guilty of a few sloppy passes in the opening quarter of an hour and almost gave the ball to Birmingham with a misplaced header which resulted in a corner to Birmingham. Tottenham was able to get the ball into the Birmingham box on a few occasions with Harrop and Naz but those crosses were too hard and unable to find a Tottenham player to threaten Hampton in the Birmingham goal.

Tottenham’s first chance came in the 15th minute when good play between Naz and Quinn after a throw-in lead to Quinn shooting or crossing from the right almost catching Hampton off guard but the Birmingham stopper was able to put the ball out for a corner. Kit Graham took the corner for Tottenham, finding Naz on the edge of the box who shot from distance but had her shot blocked before the rebound came back to Naz who shot softly into the hands of Hampton. Birmingham had their first chance of the game in the 24th minute when Holloway took a free-kick from the right after a Naz handball which almost crept into Spencer’s top right corner. Tottenham could have had a penalty in the 25th minute after a wonderful run by Graham, she was tracked by 3 Birmingham players and looked to have been pushed over by Mace in the Birmingham box but the referee waved play on.

Tottenham kept controlling possession but were unable to create any clear chances, if Tottenham were to break down Birmingham it would have to be down to some individual brilliance as Tottenham lacked that final ball. Tottenham had claims for a penalty again turned down in the 28th minute when Quinn latched onto a long McManus pass and Quinn was pushed down by Mace in the Birmingham box. Tottenham played out the final 10 minutes of the game dominating possession and making life very difficult for Birmingham but was unable to test Hampton in goal. Birmingham tried to attack Tottenham but the well organised Tottenham defence dealt with Birmingham’s attack with no real problems.

2nd half.

Neither team made any changes at half time, Tottenham came out in the second half the strongest but the first chance of the 2nd half fell to Birmingham after Walker stole the ball off Zadorsky shooting from a slight angle but put her effort wide of Spencer’s goal after rushing her effort. Tottenham came close in the 49th minute when Tottenham worked a clever free-kick with Quinn passing to Naz who passed to Graham before passing the ball back to Quinn who centred into the Birmingham box but no Tottenham made the move to just touch the ball into the back of the net. Tottenham was still looking to end the 2020-21 season on a high and in the 55th minute Skinner made a double substitution with Ayane and Addison coming on for Quinn and Peplow.

Tottenham continued to be the better side, enjoy most of the possession but unable to create any clear chances. Tottenham came close again in the 67th minute when a Tottenham free-kick unexpectedly fell behind Addison but she was unable to react quickly enough before the ball was cleared away by Mace. Tottenham finally got their reward in the 71st minute when some wonderful passing play from the back led to Zadorsky playing a wonderful pass down the middle to Graham who turned her marker, went past another defender before shooting from the edge of the box with her left into the bottom left scoring a wonderful goal for the Lilywhites.

Birmingham began to grow slightly in the final 10 minutes unnerving our backline as Tottenham looked to pass the ball around holding possession as they run down the clock but Birmingham were unable to threaten Spencer in goal. Tottenham was however almost punished in the 88th minute when Spencer passed a loose sloppy ball to Zadorsky on the edge of the box which almost resulted in Tottenham giving the ball away to Birmingham but Zadorsky reacted quickly to clear the ball away from danger. Referee Lisa Benn gave 4 minutes injury time as Tottenham continued to pass the ball around running down the clock before Benn blew the final whistle.

Player of the match.

Tottenham played a very good match and have been given a much need confidence boost ahead of the FA Cup 5th round tie against Sheffield United next Sunday. The passing play that led to the goal was wonderful with Captain Zadorsky proving a brilliant ball to Kit Graham to turn and convert to give us our first victory or 2021. Therefore our player of the match goes to Kit Graham.

Post match analysis.

We saw what Tottenham are capable of doing today against Birmingham, yes the Blues are going through some tough times and with only a goalkeeper for a substitute, Birmingham was always going to have a tough 90 minutes against Tottenham. Both teams came into the match with a poor 2021 WSL record with neither team winning in the league in 2021. From the start there looked like there was just one team that was hungrier for the victory but credit to Birmingham who with just 12 available players held out our Lilywhites for 70 minutes. We were thinking sooner or later something has to give but due to our poor form in front of goal, the fear was there that we would end up drawing or Birmingham would snatch a winner. Luckily for us, the good fortune went Tottenham’s way with a wonderful strike by Kit Graham.

We don’t want to take anything away from the team and their performance but we have to be honest and say that the reason that we were able to take the 3 points was because we were facing a team that has a lot of problems and are poorer than us. If we were facing West Ham, Bristol or even Villa it may have been a very different result. It is wonderful to see the team playing from the back and passing the ball around but we need to be more physical in midfield and more ruthless in front of goal. I hate to think what situation we could have found ourselves in had we not been awarded those 3 points against Birmingham back in March. Tottenham needs to sign a new forward, maybe someone like Ebony Salmon now that Bristol has been relegated BUT we also need a creative midfield to get the ball to the forwards. There are many players we feel need to move on but that will be something that we talk about in our end of season special.

Overall we got what we wanted, despite facing an understrength Birmingham we ended the season with a victory as a result of a wonderfully taken goal after wonderful play from the back. We must celebrate that after a difficult season on and off the pitch we will be seeing our Lilywhites in the WSL for another season BUT we also recognise the HUGE improvements that need to made if we want to avoid finding ourselves in the same situation and compete with the likes of Manchester United and challenge for a top 3 finish. We trust in the process and we believe in Rianne Skinner, let’s hope that next season we will be able to attend more matches and see our inspirational Lilywhites win many more games COME ON YOU SPURS!!!!

End of season awards.

The Voting is open for the annual end of season awards, the player of the season award can be voted by all season ticket holders aged 17 and above. The Juniors player of the season can only be voted on by members aged 16 and under whilst the goal of the season can be voted on by all members BUT be quick because voting closes at 5 pm on Thursday, May 13th. Voting and more information can be found at the following link https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/2021/may/202021-spurs-women-end-of-season-awards/ so be quick.

Next match.

The WSL season may be over but we are still in the FA Cup and our next match will take place next week at home to Sheffield United. Should our Lilywhites get through the dates for the next rounds have been announced with the Quarter-Finals taking place on September 29th, the Semi-Finals taking place October 31st and the final taking place on December 5th at Wembley.