FROM THE TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM – Arsenal claimed bragging rights in north London after an emphatic 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Women’s Super League.
A first-minute goal from Alessia Russo sent Arsenal on their way, before Frida Maanum and Stina Blackstenius could do the job for the N17.
Arsenal remain unbeaten under interim manager Renee Slegers, while a lackluster Tottenham Hotspur continue to face the same defensive nightmares. Robert Vilahamn will be left asking several questions after Spurs’ disappointing performance.
How the game developed
A disastrous start for the home side meant it took just a minute for Arsenal to take the lead. Mariona Caldentey’s pass into the box took an unfortunate deflection off Hayley Raso to run into the path of Russo. With true striker instinct, Russo fired his first-time shot across his body and into the bottom-left corner to send the winger into the far post.
Arsenal doubled their lead in the 20th minute as Kim Little and Maanum combined well to split the Spurs midfield before the latter buried his strike into the bottom corner. Things were getting worse for Tottenham as the Lilywhites’ midfield struggled to keep up with the Gunners.
Katie McCabe forced a corner for the visitors as the clock ticked down after Luana Buhler had no choice but to throw the ball in to stop the defense’s run. Maanum’s delivery was spot-on, and Caitlin Foord almost capitalized on the cross before being denied by a desperate block from Clare Hunt.
Tottenham finally created a chance of their own after the half-hour mark, with Jessica Naz finding Beth England in space on the counter-attack. England tried their luck from distance but were denied by an outstanding save from Daphne van Domselaar, who deflected the shot over the bar.
Spurs had another chance to pull one back just before half-time when Eveliina Summanen curled her free-kick towards the back post in England’s pursuit. A brave follow-up run from Leah Williamson meant she was able to flick the ball wide and behind for a corner. Tottenham failed to create anything meaningful from the corner, with Amanda Nilden sending her shot into the stands.
The second half started much more evenly than the first as the pitch opened up in Tottenham’s favour. Despite this, it was Arsenal who had the first chance of the second term as Hunt fouled Foord on the edge of the box and earned himself a yellow card. The free kick led to nothing though as McCabe fired straight at Becky Spencer.
The Gunners put the nail in the coffin in the 65th minute when a clever combination of Maanum and Caldentey set Blackstenius free in the box. The Swedish striker made no mistake and scored Arsenal’s third.
Tottenham failed to build any momentum after conceding the third, and the derby narrative looked set as the clock wound down in north London.
GK: Daphne van Domselaar – 8/10 – An excellent save in the 33rd minute to tip Beth England’s shot over the crossbar and preserve a clean sheet. They weren’t really given much else to do.
RB: Emily Fox – 9/10 – The Arsenal right-back may be one of the most consistent players in the WSL at the moment, and this was no exception. The alternating Raso and Naz struggled to gain ground against the formidable defender.
CB: Leah Williamson – 8/10 – Derby day treat for the Gunners at home after a solid performance at the back.
CB: Steph Catley – 8/10 – Another very solid performance from the Aussie, working well with Williamson to nullify Beth England’s threat completely.
LB: Katie McCabe – 8/10 – An impressive display from the left back who was back to his best. Spurs were unable to threaten her defensively, so she gained the freedom to create much more for the Gunners in attack.
CM: Leah Walt – 9/10 – A defensive midfielder often goes unnoticed in a game like this, but Walti deserves credit. Much of Arsenal’s attacking ability was created by their composure in the middle of the park. They nullified Spurs in the few moments they looked brilliant and dictated the pitch with so much experience.
CM: Kim Little (c) – 6/10 – Some uncharacteristic mistakes from Little when he lost possession a few times in the first half. He was replaced at half-time by Cooney-Cross after Slegers probably realized his defensive strengths weren’t needed against a tired Spurs midfield.
CM: Frida Maanum – 8/10 – On the scoresheet once again, Maanum continues to show why he deserves his place in the starting eleven. He played with real freedom and allowed him to open up spaces for Arsenal in the future.
RW: Mariona Caldentey – 7/10 – One of his quietest performances in an Arsenal shirt, although he made no mistakes. Set up Blackstenius with a visionary ball for Arsenal’s third.
ST: Alessia Russo – 9/10 – A dream start for the Arsenal striker who is definitely getting his mojo back. A real striker capped off another good performance from Russo. Slegers’ persistence to start it is paying off with confidence, with the Gunners striker grabbing her fourth goal in five games. His work off the ball should not go unnoticed as he left the Spurs defense absolutely gassed with his proactive movement.
LW: Caitlin Food – 6/10 – Smoked Amanda Nilden for pace and strength down the right side, but struggled to deliver the final product with the final pass during her time on the field.
Substitutes
SUB: Kyra Cooney-Cross (46′ for Little) – 7/10 – A fine display from the midfielder in north London. Arsenal were in control of the midfield, so it allowed Cooney-Cross to play more freely, which suits his style of play.
SUB: Stina Blackstenius (63′ for Russo) – 8/10 – Once again, Blackstenius put the game to bed with a clinical finish. The striker is improving a lot to leave his chances when they come.
SUB: Beth Mead (63′ for Maanum) – 6/10 – It had no real impact, but the game already seemed put to bed when it came on.
SUB: Rosa Kafaji (78′ for Caldentey) – N/A
SUB: Lotte Wubben-Moy (84′ for McCabe) – N/A
Unused substitutions: Manuela Zinsberger (GK), Laura Wienroither, Laia Codina, Lina Hurtig
manager
Renee Slegers – 10/10 – The Gunners remain unbeaten under interim manager Renee Slegers, who has his players ticking over, with Alessia Russo scoring her fourth goal in five games despite failing to score in eight consecutive games to start the season. He was able to rotate the bench in preparation for an important Champions League meeting with Juventus on Thursday.
GK: Becky Spencer – 3/10 – The distribution was always kick and hope, and offered nothing for the Tottenham defence. You have not saved any keys.
RB: Ash Neville – 6/10 – Tottenham’s most brilliant defender on the occasion with a very low quality award. Offered Spurs a bit of an outlet up front and defended decently when called upon. He really struggled for pace at times.
CB: Clare Hunt – 4/10 – A very tough outing for the Australian centre-back as she was put under a lot of pressure by the Gunners’ forwards. He was unable to use his height and strength to his own advantage, clearly keeping Blackstenius in play for Arsenal’s third.
CB: Molly Bartrip – 4/10 – He couldn’t keep up with Arsenal’s forwards and really struggled for strength against Russo.
CB: Luana Buhler – 5/10 – Buhler and Hunt still haven’t figured out how to work together, and that was extremely evident today. The back five did nothing to help his skill set, and he looked a little brighter when Spurs switched to a back four for the closing stages of the game.
LB: Amanda Nilden – 3/10 – A very poor performance from one of Tottenham’s most consistent players. Regularly beaten for both pace and strength down the right side.
CM: Drew Spence – 6/10 – Quiet performance but probably looked Tottenham’s best outing in midfield.
CM: Eveliina Summanen – 5/10 – Another very quiet performer. He made some promising deliveries of parts, but none capitalized.
RW: Hayley Raso – 2/10 – A poor deflection allowed the Gunners to take the lead after a minute. Anonymous performance.
ST: Beth England (c) – 4/10 – An uninspiring performance from the Spurs boss, but she didn’t get much help as Tottenham didn’t give her the ball more than a handful of times. The defensive setup left her on an island.
LW: Jessica Naz – 5/10 – Completely dominated by the experienced Emily Fox on occasion. He looked brilliant when he was on the ball, but his teammates gave him zero options up front, so every good chance went to waste.
Substitutes
SUB: Olga Ahtinen (67′ for Hunt) – 6/10 – Spurs looked much better when Ahtinen was on the pitch, and he should have started. She gained some control in midfield when she was brought on.
SUB: Martha Thomas (78′ for Spence) – N/A
SUB: Matilda Vinberg (84′ for Raso) – N/A
SUB: Lenna Gunning-Williams (84′ for Naz) – N/A
Subs not used: Eleanor Heeps (GK), Amy Turner, Charlotte Grant, Ellia Morris, Anna Csiki
manager
Robert Vilahamn – 2/10 – The starting lineup looked completely wrong for Spurs, with the decision to play a back five really hurting Tottenham’s chances of winning the midfield battle. The changes came too late to change the momentum, and Vilahamn found no answers to Arsenal’s questions.
