Tottenham traveled to Leigh Sports Village to take on 4th placed Manchester United in match-day 20. Tottenham are still searching for their first WSL win of 2021 after defeat to Manchester City in our Lilywhites last WSL match.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBgbF5AoXhg

The FA Cup.

Tottenham were in FA Cup action last week where our Lilywhites took on Reading in the 4th Round of the FA Cup. Reading has always been a tough opponent and with our confidence currently being so low, it was always going to be a tough match. Tottenham came out like a new team and after many weeks of bad luck and the ball not wanting to go into the back of the net, our Lilywhites finally had a turn of fortune in a hard thought match which went into extra time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVsJs0CF_Zc

Lineups.

Manchester United lined up in a 4-2-3-1 with Earps in goal, A. Turner in at right-back, Smith and M.Turner in the centre of defence with Batlle in at left-back. In front of the defence was Staniforth and Zelem with the United midfield being occupied by Toone down the right, Sigsworth in the centre and Press down the left with Hanson in the number 9 role for United.

Tottenham went with a 4-3-3 with Spencer in goal, Neville in at right-back, Kennedy and Zadorsky in the centre of defence with Harrop in at left-back. The Tottenham midfield was made of Green, Graham and Cho while the front three was made of Naz down the left, Williams down the right with Dean in the number 9 role.

Match report.

Tottenham started the game well, attacking United, putting them under a lot of pressure not allowing United to play their game while dealing with the United attacks well. Both teams had half chances but nothing to bother either keeper. Tottenham started the game like they finished last weeks FA Cup tie against Reading however it was United that struck first in the 9th minute when United played from the back with M.Turner who found Press in midfield who passed out wide to Hanson down the left who then crossed into the Tottenham box finding Toone who shot with her left to put United one up. Tottenham broke apart after that United goal with United dominating possession and looking the more likely to score. United doubled their lead in the 19th minute when Press headed in from a Toone corner. Tottenham tried to get back into their rhythm and push United back like in the first 10 minutes but Tottenham’s passing was sloppy as they gave the ball cheaply away to United at every opportunity.

Tottenham was again punished in the 30th minute when United countered Tottenham with Smith finding Hanson down the left who crossed into the Tottenham box, Harrop was unable to deal with the ball and the loose ball fell to Sigsworth who powerfully shot past Spencer to make it 3 to the hosts. United almost got themselves in trouble in the 33rd minute when Millie Turner played a ball across the United goal to Earps who passed to Amy Turner and was just able to put the ball out for a throw after good pressure by Dean who almost stole the ball for the United defender. Neville was given a tough time by Hanson and in the 35th minute Hanson again took on Neville getting past her with ease and getting her shot away but Spencer saved comfortably. The last chance of the game fell to Tottenham in the 42nd minute when good play by Cho and Naz led to Naz centring from the right but Williams completely missed the header before United cleared the ball to safety.

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2nd half.

Tottenham started the 2nd half with a double substitution with Ayane and Worm coming on for Harrop and Cho. United started the 2nd half just like they finished the first dominating possession from the get-go. It took United just one minute to extend their lead when Kennedy mistimed her tackle on Staniforth leading to a United spot-kick which was taken by Toone who sent Spencer the wrong way to make it 4 for United. Tottenham had a rare attack in the 57th minute when good play by Ayane down the right lead to a cross deep into the United box but great defensive marking by Turner put Naz off who is unable to connect with the cross in what surely would have been a goal for Tottenham. United attacked straight back at Tottenham and a minute later a great run by Press down the middle led to a shot with her left from distance but her shot was straight at Spencer after great pressure by Kennedy. A minute later United was at it again, Press again shot from distance but Spencer got down well to deny Press her 2nd of the match. With a 4 goal advantage, United did not look like going easy on Tottenham and in the 67th minute, United came close again when Hanson latched into a Groenen long ball but good pressure from Morgan didn’t allow Hanson to compose herself as her shot was palmed over for a corner by Spencer.

United again came close in the 71st minute when a Galton corner almost went straight in had it not hit the bar before being cleared by Tottenham. Good play by Galton and Press in the 76 minute almost lead to a 5th for United but Press couldn’t keep her effort on target as her effort sailed past Spencer’s left-hand post. A minute later United again came close this time Press played Galton in with a chip but Galton skied her effort over Spencer’s bar. Hungry for more Hanson came close once more in the 79th minute when her effort from distance was parried away by Spencer but only as far as Press but she was given off-side. United kept pressuring Tottenham looking for a 5th and toying with our Lilywhites by passing the ball as our players ran helplessly trying to get the ball back but in the 2nd minute of injury time Tottenham got their reward. With the final attack of the game, Ayane was brought down by Carrie Jones, up stepped Alanna Kennedy who unleashed a thunderous shot into the top left-hand corner leaving Earps with no chance before Christiana Hattersley blew the final whistle.

Player of the match.

Even though we conceded 4 our player of that match goes to Becky Spencer, had it not been for Spencer we could have easily lost by 7 or 8. Spencer pulled off some wonderful saves against Hanson, Toone and Press, therefore, gets our vote for player of the match.

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Post match analysis.

Again the line up cost us any chance of taking points from this game, Why did Siri not start? Why was Naz playing instead of Addison? Why was Ayane brought on at half time instead of Quinn or Addison? these are questions we will never know the answers to. This must be the only game all season that we just wanted the game to finish and be put out of our misery. It is also the only game that our Lilywhites never got into the game. We knew this game would be tough as our next game against Chelsea but whatever happens, this kind of performance where the team didn’t even show up is not acceptable. Neville had a horrid game and was given a real hard time by Hanson and Toone, maybe Neville was rushed back into the starting line up after injury but Neville truly struggled all game. Tottenham started brightly in the first 8 minutes, not creating any clear chances but made it uncomfortable for united. BUT once United took the lead Tottenham once again fell apart. Tottenham just do not know who to recover when they find themselves a goal down and that has been one of the biggest issues this season compared with last year.

We have two WSL matches remaining, next we host Chelsea and we end the season away to Birmingham. Our fate remains in our hand as long as we get at least a point from one of the final two matches. So far we are doing well in the FA Cup and we will take on Sheffield United at home in the 5th round of the prestigious cup. Unfortunately for our Lilywhites, that game will have to take place behind closed doors as government restrictions for sporting events are not eased until 24 hours later on Monday 17th May 2021. We have two matches left to ensure we remain in the WSL for another season, even though many believe we are safe, mathematically we can still go down so just one point from our final 2 games will ensure our survival. After such a terrible season it would be wonderful if we could have a good run in the FA Cup. We should get past Sheffield United and after that it will come down to the luck of the draw. Before we can think about the FA Cup we need to finish on a high in the league. COME ON YOU SPURS we know you can do it.

Next match.

Our next match has been moved from a weekend fixture to Wednesday, May 5th due to Chelsea being involved in the Champions League. The game is now scheduled for a 17.30 kick-off with the match being broadcast on BT Sports.

Tottenham came into this game still searching for their first win of 2021 after last weeks defeat to Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, highlights of that match can be seen below.

Tottenham welcomed City to the Hive having not won in 7 games, the last time Tottenham faced City was back in October where City ran out 4-1 winners. Last season City ran out 4-1 winners at the Hive with Rianna Dean scoring from the spot for Tottenham. It is no question that Tottenham is going through a rough patch and the fact that our Lilywhites face the top 4 teams back to back doesn’t help BUT this problem has been there since the turn of the year with games in which we should have won on paper and have only managed to take 2 points out of 24 including points being dropped to West Ham, Bristol, and Villa all teams that were below us.

The season is coming to a rapid end and for many of us, we can’t wait for this season to be over, not because we don’t support our inspirational Tottenham women’s team but because we want to be back in the stands making as much noise as possible to inspire out Lilywhites and because for us fans this season has been tough to watch. We just want to see what recruits the club can make and see if we can follow in Manchester United’s footsteps and push the top 3.

Lineups.

Tottenham lined up in a 4-3-3 with Spencer in goal, Morgan in at right-back, McManus and Zadorsky in the centre of defence with Worm in a left-back. The Tottenham midfield was made of Cho, Graham and Kennedy with the Tottenham attack being made of Quinn down the right-wing, Dean down the left-wing with Williams in the centre.

City also lined up in a 4-3-3 with Roebuck in goal, Stanway in right-back Mannion and Dahlkemper in the centre of defence with Morgan in at left-back. The City midfield was made of Mewis, Walsh and Weir with the City attack being made of Kelly down the right, Beckie down the left and White in the centre.

Match report.

Last season it took City just 2 minutes to take the lead and this time City started in the same manner by taking control from the first minute with Dean losing the ball to Weir who shot from distance and hit the bar with a thunderous shot before McManus put the loose ball out for a city corner. Kelly took the corner for City and the ball seemed to go straight in from the corner without any player touching the ball. City kept coming at Tottenham and in the 5th minute Kelly latched onto a Mewis ball, centred into the Tottenham box but Beckie was unable to reach the ball in time. City just kept pushing Tottenham back with chance after chance and in the 6th minute Beckie got in behind Morgan and shot from distance but her effort went wide of Spencer’s goal. 2 minutes later City had a free-kick after a foul by Worm on Kelly which was taken by Weir, Dalhkemper rose unchallenged but couldn’t connect well as the ball went wide of Spencer’s goal. Tottenham almost had a bit of good fortune in the 11th minute when a back pass by Dahlkemper put Roebuck under pressure but Williams was unable to connect with Roebuck pass.

In the 20th minute, things almost went from bad to worse when Cho tried to let the ball run out for a Tottenham corner but Mewis stole the ball before rolling out, centred into the Tottenham box finding Ellen White but White put her effort wide as Tottenham were let off after some sloppy play. Tottenham did start to come out slightly from the 25th minute but failed to create any chances at all. City came back at Tottenham and in the 28th minute Kelly twisted and turned down the left before getting a cross/shot away but her effort was too long and went wide of Spencer’s left-hand post. City saw Tottenham were started to grow slightly so City began playing with Tottenham and just passed the ball around, controlling possession as Tottenham struggled to get the ball back. Esther Morgan was having a tough match being targeted by Kelly and Beckie and in the 37th minute despite her best effort Beckie got the best of Morgan after Beckie latching onto a long Mewis pass and slotted past Spencer before McManus was able to come over to cover. City won the ball easily after the restart and again countered Tottenham, passing the ball confidently until City saw an opening with Weir spotting Beckie unmarked who passed back to Weir who shot from the edge of the box but her effort went straight at Spencer. City finished the half the strongest of the two teams and in the 43rd minute, City again threatened with Kelly down the right who centred unto the Tottenham box trying to finding White but her cross went straight into Spencer’s hands before referee Amy Fearns brought the half to an end.

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Second half.

Skinner made 1 change at half-time with Harrop coming on for Worm, City again started the brightest and 1 minute into the restart it was Esther Morgan who had to come to Tottenham’s rescue after she cleared a Beckie shot off the line as the ball went out for a corner. Tottenham tried to not make the same mistake as the first half and just sit back. Tottenham tried to come out and play more and in the 53rd minute Kennedy stole the ball on the edge of the City box, passed to Dean who shot but her effort went off target. City quickly countered Tottenham with Beckie again the threat latching onto a Mewis pass but Spencer came for the ball and beat Beckie to the ball to gather safely. Tottenham kept pushing forward finally finding some rhythm in their play and just as Tottenham were starting to play better they were punished in the 60th minute after Harrop failed to deal with a Beckie cross which came to Kelly, who passed to Weir all alone in the centre who tapped past Spencer to make it 3 for City. If things weren’t difficult enough for Tottenham, City then introduced Rose Lavelle who was making a nuisance of herself.

In the 68th minute, good play by Lavelle from City’s half led to Lavelle playing through to Kelly before receiving the ball back in the Tottenham area and centring but Weir and Beckie were unable to get a touch on the cross. Lavelle was again after Weir stole the ball from Kennedy, she found Lavelle who split the Tottenham defence and got a shot away but Spencer stopped well to deny Lavelle. Even though Tottenham improved lots from the first half the Lilywhites needed to create more clear chances and in the 80th minute, Tottenham got that opportunity when a poor pass by Morgan was intercepted by Graham who turned Mannion could have shot but instead passed to Naz who shot straight at Mannion before Green put the rebound over the bar. City came straight back at Tottenham with Beckie breaking down the right, crossing into the box to find Weir sliding in but put her effort wide of Spencer’s goal. Tottenham did look better in the 2nd half but the difference between the two sides was the final ball. City has more class in that area as Tottenham continue to struggle in getting the ball to the forwards and score goals. City was happy to pass the ball around in the final few minutes of the game but in the 86th Minute Tottenham had a final chance when Naz intercepted a poor pass by Dahlkemper but Naz rushed her shot and put her effort wide un-troubling Roebuck.

Player of the match.

This is the first time in a long time we feel we can’t pick a player of the match. Zadorsky and Kennedy were outstanding as always, Quinn played her socks off and ran the whole game but things just didn’t go right for her and Dean fought really hard while playing out of position. Therefore our player of the match goes to Rianna Dean for fighting hard for the badge despite playing out of position against one of the best teams in the World.

Post match analysis.

As usual this was a game of two halves. The first half was all City, let’s not get things confused City controlled all the possession and had all the chances, City was good but nothing out of this world they weren’t as dangerous as West Ham were in January or even Arsenal last week at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium and truly believe had we attacked City like in the final 20 minutes we could have made it a very uncomfortable game for City. Why can’t our team play like that from the start? are the tactics wrong? can we only play well when a team takes their foot off the pedal? or do we have to wait for a team to be tired?. We do not know the answer but it’s a growing concern, our team needs to start games how they end them and pressure teams from the first minute not in the final 20/30 minutes when games are usually out of our reach.

Like last week Tottenham looked the most dangerous in the final quarter of the game but once again it was too late as we were trailing by 3 goals. I feel the line up was the one we should use every game except Addison should be down the left. The 4-2-3-1 works perfect with Kennedy and Percival in front of the defence, Quinn down the right, Graham behind the forward, Addison down the left and with Dean upfront, but in games with more physical defences Williams would be better suited.

A break from the WSL due to an international break will do the players good and the fact that our next game is in the FA Cup could prove to be a huge confidence boost for our players if we can get past Reading in the 4th round. We showed in the last WSL match that we can be better than them on our day we just need some luck in getting the ball in the back of the next. I believe our Lilywhites will overcome Reading which will give this group of players a huge boost before the United game in the WSL we believe in you COYS!!!

Next match.

There is no WSL action now for 2 weeks due to an international break, our next match is an FA Cup 4th round match away to Reading on April 18th before we return in the WSL against Manchester United on April 25th.

It is North London Derby time again, unfortunately, this year it was very different to last year where we saw history created as a record-breaking 38,000 fans came out to support out Tottenham women. Last years London derby was the perfect occasion for families to come out for a wonderful day of football. Tottenham could have won last year’s derby but the experience of Arsenal ensured that they, unfortunately, took the 3 points in the first-ever WSL North London Derby. Highlights of last years London derby can be seen below.

We have already faced Arsenal 3 times this season with the first game coming in the FA Cup where Arsenal ran out 4-0 winners. Our Lilywhites then again faced Arsenal in the WSL in October in a match to forget after Arsenal came out 6-1 winners. We then took on Arsenal a month later in the Conti cup where we played one of our best matches of the season drawing 2-2- but unfortunately losing 5-4 on penalties with Alex Morgan missing the spot-kick for Tottenham. Highlights of that Conti cup matchup can be seen below.

Tottenham came into this game looking for their first 2 win of 2021 in what would be a HUGE confidence boost for our Lilywhites. Last week our Lilywhites only managed a point against Bristol City. Tottenham Dominated the game especially the first half and should have won the game by at least 3 goals but luck once again was not on our side.

Line ups.

Tottenham lined up in a 4-2-3-1 with Spencer in goal, Morgan in at right-back, Zadorsky and McManus in the centre of defence with Worm in at left-back. Green and Kennedy occupied the positions ahead of the defence. Davison was in at right-wing, Graham in the centre with Ayane in at left-wing with Dean in the number 9 position.

Arsenal lined up in a 4-3-3 with Zinsberger in goal, Maritz in at right-back, Wubben Moy and Wälti in the centre of defence with McCabe in at left-back. The Arsenal midfield was made of Roord down the left, Little in the centre with DVD down the right. The Arsenal front 3 were made of Nobbs down the left, Miedema in the centre and Foord down the right.

Match report.

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Both teams started even as they attacked one another but it didn’t take Arsenal long to find their stride and take control of the game. Arsenal’s first chance of the game came in the 6th minute when Jordan Nobbs centred into the Tottenham box from the left finding Wubben-Moy who shot from distance but her effort went wide of Spencer’s goal. Arsenal was at it again 2 minutes later with a cross into the box but Van De Donk was unable to connect well with the ball making it easy to gather for Spencer. Arsenal could have taken the lead in the 10th minute when McManus’s clearance went only as far as Nobbs who passed to Roord who played a wonderful ball through to Miedema who twisted and turned before getting her shot away but her effort took a deflection off McManus slowing the ball down for Spencer to gather.

Arsenal were purposely attacking Morgan down the left trying to take advantage of her inexperience and McCabe did give Morgan a few problems but the 18-year-old did very well to cope with the experienced Arsenal attackers. Arsenal came close again in the 18th minute when DVD took on two Tottenham players cut inside from the left and unleashed a shot from distance but her effort was straight at Spencer. A minute later Tottenham should have been punished when the Tottenham defence fell asleep and stopped play thinking Miedema was offside from a McCabe free-kick but Miedema’s shot went wide as Tottenham were let off. Arsenal finally got their breakthrough in the 25th minute when great one touch play between Nobbs and Maritz found Foord who shot from an angle to slot past Spencer. Arsenal kept coming at Tottenham and in the 27th minute they could have had a 2nd after a thunderous shot by Nobbs from the edge of the box, but Spencer saved well to put the ball out for a corner. Tottenham struggled to get out of their half and threaten Arsenal and in the 33 minute Nobbs came close again when Miedema crossed into the Tottenham box, Worm only managed to get it away as far as Nobbs who shot from distance but Spencer again saved well pushing the ball over for an Arsenal corner. As a result of that corner, things went from bad to worse for our Lilywhites, McCabe took the corner and Miedema volleyed the ball without letting it bounce straight past Spencer to make it two for the Gunners. Tottenham attempted a rare attack in the 40th minute but Graham had the ball stolen from her by McCabe who shot from distance but her effort went just wide of Spencer’s left post. Arsenal finished the half the strongest of the two teams as Tottenham were still looking to get into the game.

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Second half.

Arsenal started the half like they finished the first as they dominated possession with the first chance of the 2nd half falling to Roord for the Gunners as she shot from inside the box but her effort went straight into the hands of Spencer. An error in the Tottenham defence in the 61st minute resulted in an Arsenal third after a McManus misplaced pass went to McCabe who shot from an angle to slot past Spencer and give Arsenal their third of the game. Arsenal’s third result in a double substitution for Tottenham as Addison and Williams came on for Ayane and Davison. After the double substitution, Tottenham finally began to look like they had got their game together as the Lilywhites began to come out and attack Arsenal. Great pressure from Williams in the 66th minute caused problems for Zinsberger as Tottenham put Moy under pressure and her poor attempted clearance fell to Green who shot from distance but Zinsberger managed to save with her feet as Arsenal were let off as no Tottenham player was close to pick up the loose ball. Tottenham certainly looked much brighter and dangerous with the introduction of Williams and Addison.

Tottenham continued to look for a way back into the game and in the 76th minute, good play by Williams found Graham who tried to go around Zinsberger and has her shot saved the rebound and back to Graham to passed to Williams who shot from inside the box but her effort was again saved by Zinsberger before the ball then came out to Addison who shot but Zinsbeger got up quickly and saved to deny Tottenham a deserved goal. Tottenham kept coming at Arsenal as the Gunners were pinned back and struggled to come out of their own half. Tottenham came close again to finally getting a breakthrough in the 85th minute when great play by Dean down the left, crossed finding Williams who rose above the Arsenal defence but headed a clear chance just wide of Zinsbergers left-hand post. Arsenal almost got a 4th in a rare attack when Tottenham was caught short at the back, great play by DVD found Roord who shot from distance but her effort went just wide. The final chance of the game fell to Tottenham with a Siri Worm free-kick but after lifting the ball well over the wall was unable to keep her effort on target as the ball went over with the final chance of the game.

Player of the match.

Every player gave everything, especially in the final 30 minutes, but our player of the match has to go to Becky Spencer because had it not been for our shot-stopper we would have seen ourselves 3 or 4 down at half-time.

Post match analysis.

This was always going to be a tough match especially since it was played with no fans in the ground. Against a team like Arsenal, you must be cautious to not let them have too much possession and play their passing game therefore we need quick dangerous players on the pitch to catch Arsenal off guard when attacking the Arsenal backline which is why it did not make sense why Addison was left off the starting 11.

I think the only aim now for this season is to remain in the WSL and start next season with a new objective. We have seen this season the importance of in form forwards and this match has shown how desperate we are in need a right-winger and forward because once again Davison and Ayane went missing in another game. Another player we feel that has not been impressive since her arrival is Abbie McManus as she has made too many mistakes and cost us the 3rd goal against Arsenal not for the first time this season. I think Tottenham missed an opportunity not keeping Emma Mitchell last season and we hope Zadorsky and Kennedy will sign on past this season but we can see why Manchester United was willing to let McManus go. Had it not been for injuries Godfrey or Harrop would have been better defensive partners for Captain Zadorsky.

A 3-0 defeat is better than 6-1 but this match again demonstrated the gap between many other WSL teams and Tottenham. Yes this is only our 2nd season in the WSL compared to the likes of Chelsea, City and Arsenal and if we think where we were just 3 years ago we have achieved so much BUT to compete in the WSL big signings need to be made. YES had Tottenham played as they did in the final 30 minutes when Addison, Williams, Quinn and Cho came on the score could have been very different because from the 60th minute there was just one team on the pitch that wanted to play and score BUT against world-class teams like Arsenal you need to go at them from the first minute and not give them a 3 goal lead. It’s not the first time that we have said had we taken those chances or had we played like we did in a certain half, we need to start executing these chances because if we do not start to improve it will just be a matter of time before we are relegated to the Championship. We must now learn from this defeat, adapt it into our game plan and try to take something from City on Sunday COYS!!!

Next match.

Our next match will take place at the Hive against Manchester City. Due to Covid restrictions this match will once again take place behind closed doors.

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.

𝗛𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦 📺 Reading 0 Spurs 0

All the action from Sunday's match at the Madejski Stadium. #SpurHerOn ⚪ #COYS pic.twitter.com/x1NRDRZOqp

— Tottenham Hotspur Women (@SpursWomen) March 15, 2021

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.

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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.

Tottenham travelled to 6th place Reading for matchday 15. Our Lilywhites were looking for their first victory of 2021 after 4 consecutive defeats, most recently against Brighton in a match where luck was just not on our side after we hit the woodwork 3 times and had 2 efforts cleared off the line. Highlights of last week’s match can be seen below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-bv6e1V5RQ

London derby.

It was announced this week that our North London clash with Arsenal will be played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday 27th March at 15.30. Unfortunately, the match will take place behind closed doors due to Covid restrictions but the game will be shown on the FA Player.

Line ups.

Reading lined up in a 4-4-2 with Moloney in goal, Woodham at right-back, Leine and Bartrip in the centre of defence with Mitchell in at left-back. The Reading midfield was made of Eikeland down the right-wing, Fishlock and James in the centre of midfield with Williams down the left-wing. Harries and Harding were upfront for Reading.

Tottenham lined up in a 4-3-3 with Mikalsen in goal, Morgan at right-back, Zadorsky and McManus in the centre of defence with Worm in at left-back. The Tottenham midfield was made of Percival, Kennedy and Green, while the Tottenham attack was made of Davison down the right-wing, Addison down the left-wing and Ayane in the centre forward position.

Match report.

Reading have always been a tough opponent and Tottenham knew they had to pressure Reading from the start if they wanted to take something from the game. Tottenham had their first chance of the game in the 3rd minute when good play from Morgan down the right found Kennedy who shot from distance but her effort was comfortably saved by Moloney. Reading had a chance to go ahead in the 9th minute when a Harding cross led to confusing between Kennedy and McManus in the Tottenham defence with the clearance falling to Fishlock who shot from distance but her effort was comfortable enough for Mikalsen.

Tottenham came close again in the 19th minute when Ria Percival’s corner almost flew straight in as Moloney saw it late but there was no Tottenham player to knock the ball in. Reading came back at Tottenham and in the 24th minute former Tottenham loanee Emma Mitchell found Jess Fishlock with a long ball who shot from distance but her effort took a deflection off Zadorsky for a Reading corner. The game was quite even as most of the play took place in the centre of the field, Tottenham came close in the 34th minute when a poor Reading clearance fell to Kennedy who shot from distance but slipped in the process and led to a comfortable save for Moloney. Reading began to grow more into the game in the final 7 minutes of the first half by dominating possession and Jess Fishlock had the best chance of the game in the 43rd minute when she hit the post after skipping past Morgan and McManus before Morgan got back in time to kick away the rebound before Fishlock was able to react.

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Second Half.

Tottenham had the first chance of the second half when Ayane latched onto a McManus long ball, crossed into the Reading box but her cross was too hard for Addison who couldn’t direct the ball past Moloney. Tottenham was almost punished 3 minutes later when a mix up between Mikalsen and Kennedy led to giving the ball away to Williams who spotted Mikalsen off her line but she rushed her shot and luckily for Tottenham put her effort wide of the Tottenham goal. Tottenham came straight at Reading and should have taken the lead when Bartrip gave the ball way to Ayane who cut into the box from the right-wing, had plenty of time to pass to Percival or Addison in the middle but decided to go alone and Moloney saved comfortably from Ayane. Reading came close again in the 59th minute when Harries ran well down the left, centred into the box and Mikalsen saved well from point-blank range to deny Reading. Tottenham made a double substitution in the 66th minute with Quinn and Graham caming on for Addison and Green. They both had an immediate effect on the game as a minute after coming on, a good run and pressure from Quinn lead to a mix up at the back for Reading between Leine and Moloney which led to the ball rolling across the Reading backline but Davison was unable to poke the ball across the line before Mitchell got it away for the home side. Tottenham made their 3rd change of the game in the 73rd minute when Rachel Williams made her return from injury replacing Gemma Davison. Reading looked to finish the game the strongest of the two as Tottenham was giving the ball away cheaply in the final third giving Reading more possession but the introduction of Graham gave Tottenham some much-needed strength in midfield as she was Tottenham’s best player in the last quarter of the game as Tottenham regained control of possession. In the 81st minute, Tottenham played wonderfully from the back and Quinn found Williams with a cross into the Brighton box but Moloney came out just in time to put Williams off as she was about to pull the trigger. Tottenham continued to pile pressure onto Reading and in the 83rd minute Kit Graham crossed in from the right to the far post which Kennedy headed but her effort was well saved by Moloney to deny Tottenham the winner at the death. Tottenham certainly finished the 2nd half the strongest of the two teams but neither team was able to score and had to settle for a draw.

Player of the match.

Our player of the match goes to Shelina Zadorsky for a second week in a row. Kit Graham made a huge impact when she came on but Zadorsky again proved what an important player she is. It is rare to say that Fara Williams and Jess Fishlock have had a quiet game but Zadorsky was instrumental in making sure Reading’s biggest threats were kept quiet. Zadorsky defended well and got forward and had a chance to put our Lilywhites ahead in the second half but luck does not seem to be on her side at the minute.

Post match analysis.

Reading is always a tough match, and a point against a team like Reading can be seen as a victory considering our current run. Reading was well organised and put our defence and midfield under a huge amount of pressure in parts of the game but our Lilywhites showed they were no pushovers as they also pushed Reading back and came so close to getting the 3 points in a very evenly matched game.

There are many positives to take from the game but the issue still remains scoring goals. Most of the threat is coming from defenders and midfielders while the forwards are not scoring or doing enough to score goals. A positive for the team is that Rachel Williams made her comeback from injury in the second half which is a much-needed boost especially with the games we have coming our way in the next month. Kit Graham and Lucy Quinn made a huge impact when coming on and again demonstrated why Ayane and Davison need to be bench warmers and not starters for Tottenham. We now must focus on next week and ensure we take all 3 points against Bristol as we look to avoid relegation in our dreaded 2nd season in the WSL.

As long as Williams, Addison and Graham start and Ayane and Davison stay on the bench we should take our first 3 points of 2021 with no problems COYS!!!

Next match.

Next Sunday our Lilywhites welcome Bristol City to the Hive in a match that can be seen live on the FA Player at 14.30.

Our Lilywhites travelled to the People’s Pension Stadium to take on 7th placed Brighton in matchday 14. Three points separated Tottenham and Brighton as our Lilywhites looked to bounce back from last week’s defeat to Everton.

The FA Cup.

The FA cup is back on April 18th and our Lilywhites will start their campaign away to Reading with kick-off scheduled for 14:00.

Rearranged match.

It was announced earlier that week that our home match with Bristol City which was due to take place on Wednesday, February 12th has been rearranged for Sunday 21st March and the match will be shown live on the FA Player.

Line ups.

Brighton lined up in a 3-5-2 with Walsh in goal, Le Tissier, Kerkdijk and Williams in defence, Brazil down the right-wing, Koivisto, Connolly and Kaagman in the centre of midfield with Simpkins down the left-wing. Lee and Whelan were upfront for the seagulls.

Tottenham went for a 4-2-3-1 with Mikalsen in goal, Morgan in at right-back, Zadorsky and McManus in the centre of defence with Worm in at left-back. Percival and Kennedy ahead of the defence with Addison down the left-wing Graham in the centre of midfield with Davison down the right-wing and Ayane in the number 9 role.

Match report.

Brighton came out looking to avoid a 4th consecutive defeat to Tottenham and showed they were unwilling to take any risks by lining up with 5 midfielders making it difficult for our Lilywhites to threaten the Brighton goal. Tottenham enjoyed most of the possession but was unable to create a clear chance until the 18th minute when Kit Graham stole the ball in midfield which came to Ayane but Ayane rushed and shot from distance and put her effort wide of Walsh’s goal. Brighton almost took the lead in the 21st minute when Brazil centred into the Tottenham box finding Koivisto who shot from point-blank range but Mikalsen stood strong to deny the Finnish International. Tottenham came right back at Brighton and 2 minutes later came close to breaking the deadlock after Kennedy crossed from the right into the Brighton box but her cross was a little too hard for Addison to reach. Brighton kept trying to catch Tottenham on the counter as Tottenham continued to dominate possession. Great passing by Tottenham in the 38th minute found Morgan down the right who centred into the Brighton box finding Davison but Davison took a little too long to control the ball and Williams got the ball away before Davison had a chance compose herself. Tottenham had the best chance of the game in the 46th minute after Percival’s corner was met by Zadorsky but her header was cleared off the line by Koivisto. Tottenham claimed the ball had crossed the line but due to not having goal-line technology in the WSL we will never know if Tottenham were denied a good goal or not.

Second half.

The second half started again with most of the play taking place in the centre of the field as both sets of midfielders tried to break the other down. Tottenham came close again in the 56th minute when a Siri Worm corner was met by Kennedy who headed it and it seemed to strike a Brighton players arm in the box by referee Stacey Pearson was not interested and let play continue. 3 minutes later Tottenham again came close when Worm took a Tottenham free-kick which found Zadorsky in the box but her effort was smashed against the Brighton crossbar as the seagulls were let off the hook again.

Tottenham were punished 4 minutes later when against the run of play Brighton scored with a volley by Kaagman after Tottenham were caught short at the back. Substitute Rianna Dean had a positive impact when coming on and was brought down on the edge of the box by Kerkdijk as she looked to go one on one with Walsh. Worm took the Tottenham free-kick but her effort was way wide of Walsh’s goal. 4 minutes later Tottenham were punished again when another Brighton counter-attack lead to Kaagman’s and Brighton’s second of the game after a McManus clearance fell straight to Kaagman who shot inside the box beating Mikalsen and giving Brighton their second against the run of play. Tottenham responded right away and a minute later Tottenham earned a corner which was taken by Worm which was punched away by Walsh but only as far as Green who shot but her effort was cleared off the Brighton line again denying Spurs. Tottenham kept pushing forward, believing they could still get something from the game and in the 79th minute again on the counter Brighton hit the bar when Heroum’s effort was well saved by Mikalsen pushing her effort against the bar, the rebound fell to Connelly whose effort also hit the bar as Tottenham survived a late scare again against the run of play. Tottenham kept pushing looking for goals and looking more like the home team, whilst Brighton looked scared and only attacked on the counter as they looked to protect their 2 goal lead. In the 91st minute, Kit Graham stole a ball in midfield and shot from distance but her effort struck the Brighton crossbar again as Brighton hung on in the final minutes to take all 3 points.

Player of the match.

Our player of the match is an easy one this week, even though the team gave it their all our player of the match goes to Captain Zadorsky. Zadorksy was a rock in the defence, provided organisation in the defence and attacked the Brighton goal and had an effort cleared off the line before the break and hit the bar in the second half.

Post match analysis.

When it’s not your day defeats are harder to take, there was just one team that wanted to play and that created the most chances but when the ball just doesn’t want to go in it’s hard to criticise the performance. I do still believe some players are not WSL material and may be better suited at Championship level such as Josie Green who lost the ball in midfield leading up to Kaagman’s 2nd goal and Rosella Ayane who just is not up to the task of leading our front line. I am interested to see what happens in the summer when Skinner can bring in her own players and start building her squad. I think for now Quinn needs to start playing more minutes and maybe move Graham into the number 9 role.

All in all the performance can’t be faulted, the team gave everything but luck was just not on their side. We thought Tottenham would have easily taken points against Villa, Everton and Brighton and instead are on a 4 match winless streak with Reading awaiting us next weekend. We need to start worrying because yes we have 2 games in hand but so do bottom placed Bristol, If Bristol wins their two games in hand they will go onto 12 points the same as our Lilywhites. We have a tough month coming up Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea awaiting us back to back from March 28th. The only positive is if Bristol wins their two matches and we lose we face Bristol in 2 weeks so victory there should ensure our safety but nothing can be taken for granted in which will surely see the title and relegation battle go down to the wire. We need to remain positive and have faith in the team and hope we can start picking up some points to avoid relegation.

Next match.

Our next match takes place next Sunday 14th away to Reading. The match will take place at 12:30 and can be seen on the FA Player COYS!!!!

Another week and another game, this time our Lilywhites take on 5th placed Everton in match day 13. Tottenham was looking to bounce back after defeats to Chelsea and Villa. The last time these two teams faced off was was in September when Everton won by a goal with a second-half Izzy Christiansen goal.

This is Everton’s first return to the Hive since that fabulous performance by our Lilywhites last season when goals by Angela Addison and Emma Mitchell inspired a comeback by our 10 women to earn Tottenham a point against an inform Everton team.

Contract extensions.

This week Tottenham announced that forward Jessica Naz has signed a contract extension with Tottenham keeping her at the Club until June 2022. Jessica Naz came through the Tottenham youth ranks and returned to the club in 2018 after spending some time at Arsenal. Naz made her WSL debut in the 3-1 win against Aston Villa in December 2020 having spent all of Tottenham’s debut 2019-20 WSL season out injured with an ACL injury. Jessica has made 25 appearances for the club scoring 4 goals and will be a great asset in the Tottenham front line. More information on Jessica’s extension can be found on the following link https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/2021/february/new-deal-for-jessica-naz/

In some more fantastic news, Tottenham also announced a contract extension for Angela Addison. Addison has signed an extension that keeps her at the club until June 2022. Addison joined Tottenham in 2018 from C&K Basildon scoring 11 goals for our Lilywhites in 41 appearances. More information on Angela’s extension can be found at the following link https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/2021/february/angela-addison-signs-new-contract/

Line ups.

Tottenham went for a 4-2-3-1 with Mikalsen in goal, Percival at right-back, Zadorsky and McManus in the centre of defense with Harrop in at left-back. Kennedy and Davison as holding midfielders with Addison down the left-wing, Morgan made her senior debut in the centre with Graham down the right-wing with Ayane in the number 9 position.

Everton lined up in a 4-3-3 with Maclver in goal, Wold in at right-back with Finnigan and Sevecke in the centre of defense with Turner in at left-back. The Everton midfield was made up of Christiansen, Scott and Stringer while the front three for the Toffee were made up by Emslie down the right, Morgan down the left with Gauvin in the centre of the Everton attack.

Match Report.

Both teams came out from the start looking for a goal, Tottenham’s first chance of the game came in the 4th minute when Percival started a Tottenham attack after an Everton corner with a long ball finding Angela Addison but her effort was blocked by Dan Turner just as Addison pulled the trigger. 3 minutes later Tottenham found themselves a goal down when Emslie headed a Sørensen cross and the ball hit Harrop in the arm. Gauvin scored the penalty to put the toffee’s one up, both teams continued to attack one another looking for goals as most of the play took place in midfield due to both sets of midfielder’s giving the ball away cheaply. Things went from bad to worse for Tottenham in the 17th minute when Everton was awarded another penalty with Harrop again the offender for grabbing Rikke Sevecke in the area during an Everton Corner, Gauvin again stepped up and scored sending Mikalsen the wrong way. Tottenham’s kept looking to get themselves into the game but were missing that final ball in the final third to threaten Maclver’s goal. Everton Could have had a third on the 24th minute when after a great run by Moe Wold, her cross was met by Gauvin but her header went just over Mikalsen’s bar. Tottenham kept pushing to get themselves back into the game and 4 minutes later a great pass by Graham found Kennedy whose effort was blocked on the line by Maclver to deny Tottenham. With both teams not sitting back Tottenham finally got their reward in the 35th minute when Kit Graham found Addison with a great pass on the left, Addison waited for Maclever to come to her before chipping the ball over the keeper to pull one back for Tottenham. 6 minutes later Tottenham continued their push for an equaliser when Harrop played a long ball finding Ayane but Ayanes’s chip was rushed and went wide of Maclver’s left-hand post.

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Second Half.

Everton started the brightest in the 2nd half with the first chance falling to Gauvin in the 49th minute, but her header went over Mikalsen’s bar. Tottenham got back into the game in the 56th minute after a wonderful solo run by Davison from the halfway line, beating 3 Everton players and slotting past Maclver to pull Tottenham level. Unfortunately Tottenham found themselves behind again in the 60th minute when Emslie found Jill Scott with her corner who headed past Mikalsen to give Everton the lead. Tottenham made their first change of the game in the 62nd minute when Naz came on for Davison. Tottenham kept pushing again for an equaliser but Everton caught Tottenham on the counter in the 68th minute with Christensen shooting from the left but her effort went wide of Mikalsen’s left-hand post. Tottenham made a double substitution on the 74th minute with Dean and Quinn coming on for Ayane and Addison. As Tottenham looked to expose Everton’s defence, the Toffee’s midfield became more physical, coming in strong with challenges and committing more fouls on Tottenham players. Everton tried to put the game to bed and in the 74th minute, Raso came close with a shot from outside the box after a quick counter caught Tottenham short at the back but her effort was well saved by Mikalsen. Tottenham came right back at Everton and a Kit Graham corner found Zadorsky but her effort hit the post as Everton were let off the hook. Everton could have sealed the 3 points in the 88th minute when Magill intercepted a Tottenham free-kick but she rushed her shot from distance and the ball went wide. Things went from bad to worse for Tottenham in the 93rd minute when Jessica Naz had to be replaced after picking up and injury as Everton played out the final few minutes to hold on for the three points.

Player of the match.

A few players stood out today Captain Zadorsky, Angela Addison and Kit Graham. We feel while Zadorsky was solid in defence and Addison created most of the threat and scored a wonderful goal, our player of the match goes to Kit Graham. Kit was at the creator of most of Tottenham’s chances and set up Addison and Ayane on numerous occasion as well as tracking back to help out in defence during Everton attacks.

Post match analysis.

It is now 3 defeats in a row for our Lilywhites but sometimes the result does not reflect what happened on the pitch. The first two Everton goals were bad luck, how many times have we seen accidental handballs not given, and how many times have we seen shirt pulling and players grabbed in the area during corners. Credit to the officials for spotting these but on another day these would not be given. What’s done is done, the clock can’t be turned back now and the players must learn from these mistakes. Player must work on keeping their arms down in the area as this is not the first penalty that has been given against Tottenham for this offence and the players must be more aware of holding players in the area.

Like last year Tottenham found themselves 2 down against a strong Everton side and once again our Lilywhites showed their never die attitude. Like last year Angela Addison started the come back with a wonderful goal to get Tottenham back into the game and then Gemma Davison scored the goal of the match with a wonderful solo goal to draw our Lilywhites level before Jill Scott restored Everton’s lead earning the toffee’s all 3 points.

Tottenham showed some real fighting spirit but they must stop missing chances, and finding themselves down from avoidable errors like handballs and pulling players. The biggest issue facing Tottenham remains our striker. We need to sign a forward next season if the coach is not going to count on Dean because Ayane is not the solution. We don’t know how well players train but we see what players do on the pitch and Ayane does not offer anything that Quinn or Dean can’t offer. Ayane’s speed is ineffective is she does not know how to use ball possession. Ayane loses the ball too easy, protests a lot and has no positive effect on the game. Another player that Tottenham need to be rid of is Gemma Davison, Yes Davison scored a wonderful solo goal but she seems to be lazy on the pitch. Unless the ball is played to her feet she will not put in the effort to chase the ball and I find with these two players on the pitch it’s like our Lilywhites are playing with 9 players in every match.

I think Skinner has brought some needed confidence to the team, she just needs to work on those errors which are costing us goals and work on finding the right player to play alongside Addison and Graham because Naz, Davison and Ayane are not the solutions and we need to start winning games and if Ayane and Naz need to build on their confidence then they need to be benchwarmer that come on when the game is won to get that experience rather than starting matches which are costing us points. We trust the process and have absolute trust in Rehanne Skinner and understand that she inherited this team and needs time to assemble her own team but for now Naz, Ayane and Davison need to remain benchwarmers if we want to win any more games this season.

Next match.

Our next match takes place Sunday March 7th at 14:00 against Brighton, the game can be watched live on the FA Player COYS!!!

7th place Tottenham took on 11th placed Aston Villa in match day 12, our Lilywhites was looking to bounce back from last weeks defeat to league leaders Chelsea after what could have been a historic match turned into a nightmare, Tottenham Started the better of the two teams and could have been 2 goals up before conceding two in 2 minutes after a string of errors cost Tottenham against the league leaders.

https://youtu.be/BGQk237xeWg

Tottenham last faced Aston Villa back in December where our Lilywhites ran out 3-1 winner’s thanks to goals from Alex Morgan, a Caroline Siems own goal and Rosella Ayane scored her first-ever Tottenham goal.

Villa was looking for their 3rd victory of the season to ease pressure of a relegation battle, whilst our Lilywhites were be looking to set themselves nicely before the manic build-up of matches in March/April versus the top 4.

Another Departure.

In a shock move, it was announced this week that Anna Filbey has joined Celtic on loan until the end of the season. I believe that Anna was and still is a fundamental player but Rehanne needs to build her team if she wants to take Tottenham to the next level. We wish Anna the best of luck and hope she returns at the end of the season. I feel Skinner missed the opportunity to sign a forward. With Morgan gone, Williams injured and no confidence in Dean, Tottenham need a natural number 9 because Naz and Ayane are not the solutions to our lack of goals.

Rescheduled fixtures.

Tottenham’s cancelled fixture with Everton has now been rescheduled for 2 pm Sunday, February 28th at the Hive whilst our match with reading has been moved to take place 3 days earlier on at 12.30 pm Sunday, March 14th at the Madejski Stadium both matches will be shown live on the FA Player.

Line ups.

Villa opted for a 4-3-3 with Weiß in goal, Haigh at right-back, N’Dow and Asante in the centre of defense with Ale in at left-back, the Villa midfield consisted of Hutton, Ewers, and Hanssen while the attacking 3 were made of Iwabuchi, Larsen and Silva.

Tottenham opted for a 4-2-3-1 with Mikalsen in goal, Percival in at right-back, Mcmanus and Zadorsky in the centre of defense with Harrop at left-back. Cho and Kennedy occupied ahead of the defense with Davison down the right, Graham in the middle and Addison down the left-wing with Rianna Dean starting in the number 9 position for the Lilywhites.

Match report.

The big news for Tottenham was that Cho so-Hyun made her debut for Tottenham, Rianna Dean finally got a rare start and Shelina Zadorsky Captained Tottenham for a second time. In other fantastic news for Tottenham, Siri Worm was back in training and was on the bench after being out since December. As expected Tottenham dominated possession but with that being said, Villa didn’t just sit back they did attack Tottenham when they found openings. Tottenham had their first chance of the game when a great ball by Cho in midfield picked out Addison who was fouled but the referee waved play on, Harrop picked up the loose ball, picked out Graham who shot from distance but her effort was deflected and saved comfortably by Weiß. Villa countered from that Tottenham chance and against the run of play Iwabuchi shot from distance to give Villa the lead, there was nothing Mikalsen could do about that thunderous shot. Angela Addison was being a nuisance as usual and drawing lots of fouls from the Villa defense. Tottenham kept pushing forward looking for an equaliser and in the 16th minute, Weiß came out of her box to clear the ball but her clearance fell to Addison who spotted Weiß off her line, shot from distance but Weiß recovered well to deny Tottenham. Villa had a call for a penalty turned away in the 19th minute when Ale shot inside the Tottenham box and the ball seemed to hit McManus in the arm but referee Jane Simms waved play on. Tottenham kept pushing forward and dominated possession as Villa just booted the ball down the field hoping to find Iwabuchi or Silva for a counter-attack. In the 26th minute, Tottenham again came close after great play my McManus to start the attack found Dean who had her cross cleared only as far as Kennedy but her effort flew over the Villa bar. Villa countered right away with Iwabuchi receiving the ball on the edge of the box, shooting from distance but her shot was too central and easy enough for Mikalsen. In the 28th minute, some great play by Percival down the right found Dean who picked out Cho in midfield who played the ball to the left flank to play in Harrop who shot from distance but her effort was too hard and flew over the Villa bar. In the 34th minute, Cho found Dean who centred the ball but her cross was deflected out for a corner. Tottenham protested for a penalty as Dean’s cross seemed to hit a hand before going out for a corner but again Jane Simms waved the claims away. The Tottenham corner almost lead to an equaliser but Kennedy’s effort was too central and picked up easily by Weiß to keep it 1-0 to the hosts.

Second Half.

Skinner started the 2nd half by making two changes, Addison and Dean off for Ayane and Naz, Tottenham started the 2nd half like the finished the first by pinning Villa back and piling on the pressure. Tottenham continued to dominate possession but Villa was defending with everyone back, making it difficult for Tottenham to get into the Villa box. In the 58th Minute, Graham had no option but to shoot from outside the box but her effort went over Weiß’s bar. Skinner made her third substitute on the 61st minute taking Gemma Davison off for Lucy Quinn. Villa was frustrating Tottenham by defending with 8 players in the box with rare counters when they saw the Tottenham backline too far forward. In the 65th minute a rare Villa counter caught Tottenham short at the back and Mikalsen had to come out of her box and make the foul on Silva, Villa protested for a red card for Mikalsen but referee Jane Simms showed Mikalsen a yellow for the offence. Iwabuchi took the Villa free-kick but her effort went wide of the Tottenham goal. Tottenham began to take their foot off the pedal slightly in the 70th minute as Villa began to push forward and look to get a second and seal the game without much luck. With 20 minutes left to play, Tottenham was rushing play instead of using their heads. Villa clearly couldn’t cope with the Tottenham pressure and just committed foul after foul. Some great play by Quinn on the 75th minute found Naz who twisted and turned the Villa defense, laid off Graham but had her effort bravely blocked as Villa defended for their lives. In the 87th minute, Ayane crossed from the right-wing but her ross seemed to hit a Villa player in the arm as she went to clear the ball but again referee Simms was not interested and waved claims away. The fourth official indicated a minimum of 8 minutes injury time as Tottenham threw everything forward in search of a goal. Villa continued to slowdown play whenever they could, committing fouls and wasting time to run down the clock. In the 93rd minute Tottenham piled more pressure on Villa, leaving no one back, Cho diverted play to the right flank before the Tottenham cross was cleared only as far as Captain Zadorsky who shot from distance but her effort went over Weiß’s bar. Tottenham could have grabbed an equaliser at the death when in the 99th minute after claims for another penalty was waved away, the Villa clearance fell to Cho who shot from the edge of the box but her effort was a little too hard and just went out over the Villa bar.

Player of the match.

As always Zadorsky was a rock in the Tottenham defense, Quinn was fundamental when she came on causing the Villa defense all sorts of problems and Cho did not look like a new player. Cho is the creative player we have needed all season, she made runs, tracked back, changed the flow of play and picked out our forwards with amazing passes. Therefore we feel the player of the match has to be Cho for a fantastic game on her debut.

Post match analysis.

I feel Skinner got the team selection almost right with the exception of Davison who I still feel should be replaced by Quinn. I do feel that Skinner got her selection completely wrong in the 2nd half in taking off Addison and Dean at half time for Naz and Ayane. Naz looked like a headless chicken out there, she has speed but didn’t seem to have a clue of what to do with the ball when in possession of it. I have to give Naz the benefit of the doubt as she has spent a long time out injured and regaining fitness will take time. As for Ayane, well I didn’t even realise that she was on the pitch, it was like we were playing with 10 instead of 11. Lucy Quinn always gives her all, like I believe 99% of the players that put on the Tottenham jersey and today was no exception for Quinn. She was one of the standout players in the second half for Tottenham. Quinn was all over the pitch and caused Ale and Gregory a huge headache from the minute she came on and just like Addison received lots of fouls from the Villa players.

We can’t fault the heart of the team and the effort they put in, Our Lilywhites gave everything but sometimes it’s just not meant to be. The worst thing that can happen against a team fighting relegation is to concede first as from that moment Villa didn’t want to play. I give credit to the Villa defense for holding Tottenham out in what was a tough fought victory for the Lions. We need to remember that a few weeks back we were the team that rode our luck against West Ham and this time we were the one’s left frustrated (Karma). These are games that we SHOULD be winning but I think it is impossible to play against a team that doesn’t want to come out to play. I think had we started with Quinn instead of Davison and should Skinner have kept Dean and Addison on, we would have broken the Villa defense and taken all 3 points. I do not understand why Skinner took Dean and Addison off at half-time as Addison was giving Ale and Haigh lots of problems and Dean did very well with the few opportunities she got. I understand that Skinner inherited this team and she needs to build her own team but I do question her line ups and substitutes, Dean has not had a look in until today, Quinn should not be on the bench and you cant take off Addison when she is one of the few players that can create something from nothing. We must now regroup, learn from today and get the 3 points against Bristol on Wednesday no matter what. COME ON YOU SPURS!!

Next match.

Our next match will take place this coming Wednesday at the Hive in the rescheduled fixture against Bristol. Unfortunately, this match will be taking place behind closed doors due to government guidelines however the government are supposedly currently working on a plan to get fans back into stadiums. We wish Tottenham all the best against Bristol COYS!!!

Another week and another game, this time our Lilywhites take on league leaders Chelsea in a re-arranged fixture that was cancelled back in December due to positive Covid cases within the Chelsea camp. Tottenham last faced Chelsea in the league on the opening day of Tottenham’s debut season in the WSL where 24.564 people attended the London derby which saw Chelsea beat Tottenham by a goal to nil thanks to a screamer by Beth England.

Most recently Tottenham took on Chelsea in the Conti Cup in a game in which the host’s really had to work hard with late goals from Cuthbert and Leupolz to earn victory for the Conti Cup holders.

Transfer news.

Since the departure of Alex Morgan, Tottenham have been added a few new additions to the squad. Lauren Smith has joined Tottenham as Skinner assistant after leaving her post with the Welsh senior squad.

Smith previously worked with Bristol for 7 years starting out as a coach for the under 13’s before becoming an assistant coach with the senior squad in 2014. Smith was part of the 2016 team that saw Bristol finish second in FA WSL 2 and earning a return to the WSL for the 2017 season.

Another new addition to the Tottenham squad was the loan signing of England international Abbie McManus.

The defender joins our Lilywhites from Manchester United where McManus joined in 2019 upon their promotion to the WSL from city rivals Manchester City where McManus spent 12 years. Mcmanus started her career with Manchester City in 2011 and was part of the team that won the league and promotion to the National Divison in 2011. In 2013 Mcmanus joined Sheffield United for one season where she won the Premier league Northern. In 2014 Abbie Mcmanus returned to Manchester City and she went on to win the FA WSL Cup after defeating Arsenal 1-0 in the final. Mcmanus has enjoyed a successful 2nd spell at City and has won a total of 6 titles since her return including 2 FA Cups, 3 League Cups and the WSl title in 2016. After 12 years at City, Mcmanus swapped the blue side of Manchester for the Red in 2019 finally fulfilling her dream of playing for the team she has supported since she was a child. Mcmanus made her England Debut in 2018, replacing an injured Steph Houghton for the 2018 SheBelieves Cup which kick-started her career with England. Mcmanus went on to represent England at the 2019 World Cup in France making 3 appearances in the tournament. Abbie’s first Tottenham Interview can be seen below.

🎙️ We think you’re going to like this, Spurs fans…@Abss_5's first interview is here! 🤩 #SpurHerOn ⚪ #COYS pic.twitter.com/FEbyhMZo4V

— Tottenham Hotspur Women (@SpursWomen) January 23, 2021

Another new arrival is South Korean Captain Cho So-Hyun who joins our lilywhites on loan from London Rivals West Ham until the end of the season.

Cho started her career at the Hyundai Steel Red Angels in 2011. Cho enjoyed a successful time with the Red Angels going on to win the WK League 3 consecutive times before being loaned out to INAC Kobe where Cho went on to win the Empress’s Cup with Kobe after scoring a penalty in a shootout beating Albirex Niigata. In 2017 Cho returned to Red Angel and added another WK League title to her collection before departing in 2018 for Norwegian side Avaldsnes IL. Cho made history in becoming the first South Korean to ever play in the Norwegian league, unfortunately for Cho she was unable to add more titles as Avaldsnes finished 9th in the league and were knocked out in the round of 32 in the Champions League to Barcelona after losing 6-0 on aggregate. In 2019 Cho signed for West Ham United and was part of the historic West Ham side that made the FA Cup final in their first year in the WSL with Cho scoring the decisive penalty against Reading in the semi-finals. Unfortunately for Cho and West Ham, Manchester City ran out 3-0 winners in the final. Cho’s first interview for Tottenham can be seen below.

🗣️ "I can't wait to get started, I'm so happy to be here."@Cho8Sohyun 😁#WelcomeCho ⚪ #COYS pic.twitter.com/jLvDCVSCxA

— Tottenham Hotspur Women (@SpursWomen) January 30, 2021

Departures.

With these fabulous additions to the side some sacrifices have unfortunately been made. Elisha Sulola had left on loan to Charlton until the end of the season. Another player that has left Tottenham is goalkeeper Sophie Whitehouse. Whitehouse joined Tottenham as cover for Mikelsen from the University of Santa Clara. Whitehouse joins Birmingham City permanently after a deal was agreed by both clubs. The biggest shock has been the loaning of Lucia Leon to Madrid CFF. Leon has been at Tottenham since 2013 and has been part of the team that Karen and Juan built that saw our Lilywhites go from amateurs to full-time professionals for the first time ever in 2019 with promotion from the Championship to the WSL. Lucia has made 42 appearances for Tottenham in her 7 years and has won FA Premier League cup in 2016 and 2017, the Ryman’s Cup in 2016 and 17 as well as the Women’s Premier League Southern Division in 2016. Leon is a player that I feel that has developed tremendously and could quite easily be a first-team starter. We wish Lucia well in Madrid and hope that she returns for next season.

Line ups.

Chelsea went for a 4-2-3-1 with Berger in goal, Mjelde at right-back, Bright and Ericsson in the centre of defense with Andersson in at left-back. Leupolz and ji ahead of the defense with Harder down the left-wing, Kirby in the centre, Reiten down the right-wing and kerr up front.

Tottenham opted for a 4-2-3-1 with Mikalsen in goal, Neville in at right-back, Zadorsky and Mcmanus in the centre of defense with Harrop at left-back. Kennedy and Percival ahead of the defense with Addison down the left-wing, Graham in the middle, Davison down the right-wing with Naz up front.

Match Report.

1st place Chelsea welcomed our 7th place Tottenham to Kingsmeadow after Chelsea set a new WSL record by going 32 matches undefeated while our Lilywhites have created their own piece of history after winning 3 games in a row in the WSL for the first time ever.

As expected the league leaders started the strongest, pressing high up preventing Tottenham from playing from the back. Chelsea had their first chance in the 6th minute when Reiten crossed from the left-wing to find Kerr but she skied her effort from the 6-yard box letting Tottenham off the hook. The Chelsea dominance didn’t last too long because after that Kerr chance it was Tottenham that settled into the game and began to dominate possession. Tottenham’s first chance of the game came in the 13th minute after Kennedy had her effort blocked after great play in the Chelsea box, the deflection fell to Zadorsky whose effort went just over Berger’s bar. A minute later it was Tottenham again that looked the most likely to score when great play by Graham found Percival, who shot from outside the box and her effort hit Berger’s left-hand post. In the 18th Minute, it was Tottenham again that was looking to score when great play by Gemma Davison down the left-wing found Kit Graham who unleashed a shot from the edge of the box but Berger saved well. Tottenham’s missed chances came to punish them on the 26th minute when against the run of play Leupolz scored a with a thunderous shot from outside the area after a pass from Ji. Two minutes later things went from bad to worse for Tottenham when a miskick by Mikalsen was intercepted by Kirby who found Harder with her cross who shot past Mikalsen to put Chelsea 2 up. Chelsea could have had a 3rd in the 32nd minute when Chelsea split the Tottenham defense with Kirby finding Kerr but was unable to put the ball past Mikalsen after her first touch let her down. Tottenham looked to get back into the game and in the 36th minute Angela Addison came close after running down the right-wing, twisting Andersson but Addison’s effort flew just over Berger’s right-hand post. A minute later Tottenham was punished when a Chelsea long ball found Harder who crossed to find Kerr who headed a past Mikalsen to make it 3 for the hosts. Tottenham started so well but after the second goal Chelsea grew more into the game dominating possession as that goal knocked the confidence out of Tottenham.

• 

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Second Half.

Skinner made her first substitute of the game at half time bringing on Josie Green for Kit Graham. Chelsea started the as they finished the first half by dominating possession, passing the ball around preventing Tottenham from getting the ball and looking for gaps to punish Tottenham. Chelsea could have had a 4th in the 58th minute when a one-two between Harder and Kirby lead to a rushed soft effort by Harder making it a comfortable save for Mikalsen. A couple of minutes after Beth England was introduced she earned Chelsea a penalty when her cross hit Harrop’s arm, Leopold took the penalty sending Mikalsen the wrong way making it 4 to Chelsea. In the 70th minute Chelsea came close again this time Reiten played in England but her shot hit the Tottenham side netting. A rare Tottenham attack saw Davison play Ayane down the right-wing who centred but her cross almost caught Berger off guard but quick thinking by the German put Ayane’s cross out for a corner. A lot of play took place in the middle of the park and Chelsea enjoyed a lot of possession but with a 4 goal lead weren’t pushing as hard as they could, but instead just enjoyed passing the ball around looking for any opportunity to play any of the forwards through. Tottenham found it difficult to create any chances especially without any natural forward on the pitch. In the 80th minute, a long Chelsea ball was flicked on to Reiten by England but Reiten was challenged by Neville just as she was about to pull the trigger resulting in a comfortable save for Mikalsen. Chelsea kept coming at Tottenham in the last 10 minutes and looked like they wanted a 5th and in the 85th minute after Lucy Quinn was fouled but play continued, Ji shot from the edge of the Tottenham box but her effort was deflected for a corner. In the 93rd minute and with almost the last play of the game Ji again came close when she unleashed a thunderous shot from outside the box but her effort was superbly saved by Mikalsen to prevent a 5th for Chelsea.

Player of the match.

To be honest we didn’t see much from Tottenham after the 30-minute mark so choosing a player of the match is difficult. If we had to choose one player we would have to say that Zadorsky would get our player of the match as she contained Kerr and England giving them very few chances to punish Tottenham further.

Post Match Analysis.

Considering Tottenham were taking on the Champions who have not lost in 32 matches before kick-off, I don’t feel Chelsea were that great and their victory was down to individual errors. Before Chelsea took the lead Tottenham were in control and could have quite easily been 2 up but in every match, you need to take advantage of chances especially when facing a team like Chelsea. If I am being honest I feel West Ham gave Tottenham more trouble than Chelsea and Tottenham took the 3 points maybe undeservedly. It could be said that Tottenham was unlucky to have lost by 4 when you take into consideration that 3 of the 4 Chelsea goals were mistakes which were avoidable but that’s what happens when you play a top side. I think Rehanne got her tactics right and Tottenham frustrated Chelsea for the first 30 minutes BUT chances need to be taken and these individual mistakes can NOT happen at the top level. I have always said that I felt that Mikalsen should be the Tottenham number 1 keeper but her positioning in the first goal and her miskick leading to Chelsea’s 2nd definitely will not help in her overtaking Becky Spencer in goal. I know Mikalsen is better than this, maybe it was nerves in making her debut against the champions, maybe she is still not match fit after her injury I don’t know but whatever the reason she needs to learn from today, work on those mistakes and come back stronger. I still believe she is a much better keeper than what we saw today. My only criticism of Skinner is we need a natural forward to play week in and week out. Naz and Ayane are not natural number 9’s. Losing Williams to injury is a huge blow but we have Rianna Dean (Tottenham’s 2019-20 top goal scorer) on the bench who is not getting a look in this season. Maybe it time to play Dean or Quinn and try something different. Tottenham’s next league matches are games in which Tottenham should take points in before the horrid 4 games against the top 4 from March 28th against Arsenal. Tottenham need to take maximum points against teams of the same status or lower because the matches against Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea will be a real struggle before taking on Birmingham in the last game of the season. Skinner needs to find a number 9 now as we need as many points as possible if we do not want to find ourselves in a relegation battle towards the end of the season. We always knew it was going to be tough against the champions, we did better than against West Ham so that’s a positive we just need to stop making silly errors and making the most of chances created. I believe we will bounce back against Villa and set ourselves up nicely to survive the dreaded 2nd season in the top flight, bring on Villa next week COYS!!!

Next Match.

Tottenham’s next match is away to Aston Villa on Sunday 6th February at 12.30 on the FA Player. Tottenham will be looking to bounce from the Chelsea defeat with 3 points before taking on Bristol in their rescheduled midweek match.

The Lilywhites return.

Happy New Year Tottenham fans after a long wait our Tottenham women are back in action. So much has happened since our last match against Brighton, we have had matches against Chelsea and Birmingham postponed due to Covid cases, Alex Morgan left Tottenham after her very short loan deal expired. The good news is that Alanna Kennedy and Shelina Zadorsky have both signed permanent deals until the end of the 2020/21 season with Tottenham. I personally feel Alanna and Shelina have both settled in well and would like to see them sign longer deals at the end of this campaign.

London Derby.

2021 finally kicked off for our Lilywhites with an away game to London rivals West Ham. The last time Tottenham met West Ham was on the opening day of the season under former coaches Karen Hills and Juan Carlos Amoros where despite dominating the game, were only able to take a point thanks to a Grace Fisk own goal before Adriana Leon scored a fantastic goal to earn the hammers a draw.

New Year, Same goal.

The host’s sat in 10th place while our Lilywhites sat in 8th after back to back victories against Bristol and Villa under new coach Rehanne Skinner and were looking to make it 3 in a row against a West ham side in desperate need of points if they want to avoid a relegation battle. London derbies are always a HUGE occasion but given the current position of both clubs, this was the most important one in recent years. A huge congratulations has to go to Shelina Zadorsky who captained our great club today for the first time. Shelina is a natural leader and true inspiration to younger players and I hope to see Zadorsky Captain our Lilywhites more often in the future

🤗@Shelina4 has a message for you Spurs fans…#SpurHerOn ⚪ #COYS pic.twitter.com/5ssMCGmZgc

— Tottenham Hotspur Women (@SpursWomen) January 17, 2021

Line ups.

West Ham lined up in a 3-4-3 with Arnold in goal, Flaherty, Fisk and Vetterlein in defence. kvamme, Cho, Longhurst and Svitová made up the West Ham midfield while Van Egmond, Dali and Thomas made up the Hammers front three.

Tottenham lined up in a 4-2-3-1 with Spencer in goal, Percival at right-back, Godfrey and Captain Zadorsky in the centre of defence with Neville in at left-back. Green and Kennedy occupied the slots ahead of the defence while Davison occupied the right-wing position, Jessica Naz made her first start for Tottenham since returning from injury and Rachel Williams was in the number 9 position.

Match Report.

It’s been a month since these two teams have taken the field and it took some time for the game to get going. Tottenham started slightly stronger of the two teams but the first chance of the game fell to West Ham’s Emily Van Egmond in the 8th minute when Van Egmond latched onto a Svitová pass before shooting from range but her effort was comfortable for Spencer in the Tottenham goal. That chance gave West Ham confidence as they began to grow into the game and gain control of the midfield. Tottenham tried to get back into the game and in the 16th minute what seemed to be a wonderful counter by Tottenham’s Rachel Williams turned into a nightmare when Williams seemed to pull something when on the counter and had to substituted by Lucy Quinn. The game continued to be quite even with both sets of midfielders battling for possession. Tottenham battled to dominate possession and in the 30th minute, Jessica Naz took on two West Ham players to create herself a chance after a wonderful solo run only to have her shot blocked. Two minutes later a pass from Josie green found substitute Lucy Quinn but put her effort over the bar untroubling Arnold in the West Ham goal in Tottenham’s first clear chance of the game. Two minutes later in the 34th minute, a great run by Ayane down the right-wing, centering into the West Ham box but Kennedy was unable to meet Ayane’s cross which was put back into the West Ham box by Gemma Davison and knocked in by substitute Lucy Quinn to give Tottenham the lead.

Both sets of midfielders continued to battle for possession making it difficult for either team to create any clear chances.

Second Half.

Both teams made substitutes at half time with Rianna Dean coming on for Jessica Naz and Canadian international Adriana Leon coming on for Kenza Dali. It was West Ham that started the 2nd half the strongest with substitute Leon making an immediate impact and almost scoring in the 46th minute with a clever backheel but her effort didn’t have enough power to beat Spencer. Tottenham got their first chance of the 2nd half in the 49th minute when a Gemma Davison corner almost went straight in had MacKenzie Arnold not been alert to tip the ball over the bar. West Ham continued to regain possession and pinned Tottenham back as our Lilywhites struggled to get out of their own half. Skinner must have spotted a weakness in the Tottenham attack because in the 57th minute she introduced Angela Addison for Davison but unfortunately Addison was unable to have much of an impact on the game. West Ham looked the most likely to score and in the 59th minute an Adriana Leon free-kick found Emily Van Egmond but her header was too soft and comfortable for Spencer. West Ham kept coming at Tottenham in search of an equaliser and in the 62nd minute Svitková came close again when she shot from the left but her effort was central enough for Spencer. 3 minutes later West Ham was again knocking on the Tottenham door this time Leon found Thomas down the left-wing and shot from distance but her effort again was too central untroubling Spencer. The 2nd half was all West Ham with Tottenham riding their luck at times but credit has to go to the Spencer and the composure of the Tottenham defence. In the 72nd minute, West Ham again broke this time Van Egmond had her effort bravely blocked by Godfrey for a West Ham corner. West Ham came close from the corner when Mayumi Pacheco shot from outside the box but her deflected effort was seen late and saved spectacularly by Spencer to keep the score at 1-0 to Tottenham. It took Tottenham until the 80th minute to create their first real chance in open play of the 2nd half when Kit Graham stole a ball in midfield, found Rianna Dean with a lovely pass but Dean’s effort just skinned Arnold’s right-hand post. 2 minutes later West Ham’s Grace Fisk came close to drawing the hosts level when she met Vetterlein’s free-kick but Fisk’s effort was well saved by Spencer to deny the Hammers.

Player of the match.

Our player of the match has to go to Becky Spencer in the Tottenham goal. This match was certainly a game of two halves. The first half was very tight with both teams battling in the midfield, but the second half was all West Ham. Spencer producer save after save and had it not been for her heroics West Ham surely would have taken 3 deserved points, therefore, our player of the match has to go to Spencer between the sticks.

Post Match analysis.

Given that Tottenham has not played since December 13th and have lost Alex Morgan, Tottenham looked in fine form in the first half and did very well to limit the host’s chances however the 2nd half was a completely different story, I am happy that Tottenham has created history by winning 3 WSL matches in a row. I do ask myself HOW did West Ham not take something from this game. I understand teams need to ride their luck at times and it has been a month since our Lilywhites have played a competitive match but had this been against the likes of Chelsea we most probably would have lost heavily. I’m hoping that our team was just rusty or saving energy for the Chelsea game on Wednesday because after some fantastic performances and results it would be a shame for the team to go backwards. It must be a strange feeling for Rehanne Skinner and the Tottenham players as all season they have been working with a plan to support Alex Morgan and now Skinner needs to find her new starting forward espeically after Rachel Williams sustained an injury which will add to an unwanted headache ahead of the Chelsea game.

We all knew West Ham would make it difficult for Tottenham as they also try to avoid a relegation battle and the 1st half was very tight with both sets of midfielders fighting for dominance. Even though chances were rare, I would say Tottenham just edged West Ham as the stronger of the two teams. Before the break we had Ash Neville as our player of the match as she was solid even though she was playing out of position she stopped Van Egmond in her attacks, got forward a fair amount as was overall our best player in the first half. I don’t know what Olli Harder said to his side at half time but West Ham came out completely rejuvenated and looked like a new team. Our defence did extremely well to remain solid the whole of the 2nd half and Becky Spencer deserves a lot of the credit because we believe she had her best game of her Tottenham career so far. Spencer has been a rock in many matches but the pressure West Ham piled on our Lilywhites in the second half I honestly thought West Ham were going to take the 3 points.

Losing William’s so early must have disrupted the game plan but there was no excuse for that 2nd half performance. I am still to see the Gemma Davison we all know as she is still underperforming. I am getting tired of saying this but again I feel Ayane needs to up her game, she seems headless when she gets the ball, yes she has speed but doesn’t know what to do with the ball in the final third. I will pay credit where credit is due and congratulate Ayane on her play in the build-up to the goal but that was all she did all game. Substitutes Rianna Dean and Angela Addison were extremely quiet and at times I forgot that she had come on for Davison and Naz but I can’t really slam their performance because none of the front players performed in the second half and a lot of credit has to go to Olli Harder whos gameplan to contain the Tottenham attack paid off. The strangest move of the game for me was Skinner’s decision in taking off substitute and goalscorer Lucy Quinn for Kit Graham, I understand that Quinn wasn’t seeing any play in the second half but that lies in the midfielders not doing their job in attacking and providing service to the forwards. I’m hoping this is just a blip or maybe us fans being in the ground gave the team more of a boost than we thought. Whatever the reason we hope to see Tottenham back to winning convincingly. COYS!!!!!

Next Match.

Tottenham’s next match is on Wednesday away to Chelsea in the re-arranged December fixture at Kingsmeadow before taking on Everton at the Hive next Sunday 24th behind closed door.