Football is defined by a series of moments. An inch here and there, a tackle that is a second too late, a ball that flies agonisingly wide of its target. In the 58th minute, Tottenham took their moment superbly, a goal from Martha Thomas capitalising on the rare occasion they were able to break through Arsenal’s press. It earned them their first win in a north London derby.
It should end up as one of the team goals of this season, an all-encompassing move that ended with Thomas knee-sliding in front of her delighted fans. It took six passes from back to front before the Scotland striker poked past Manuela Zinsberger for her seventh goal of the season.
“The last few weeks against hard opponents has been a little tricky for self-confidence but the players have just kept working and today you can see that,” Robert Vilahamn, the Spurs manager, said. “Arsenal are a very good team and pushed us back but we were still brave enough to play them out. The goal is evidence of what we want to do with this team … that is how Tottenham Hotspur should score a goal. It was brilliant.”
The buzz was palpable as more than 20,000 spectators filed in for Spurs’ first game here this season. Vilahamn has breathed new life into a team that flirted with relegation at times in 2022-23. Despite coming into this match off the back of two league defeats, their confidence has remained high.
Vilahamn made one alteration from a team that had produced a courageous display against the same opponents in the league cup in midweek. Bethany England replaced Jessica Naz up front as the Tottenham captain made her 150th WSL appearance.
Eidevall, meanwhile, rang the changes, reverting to his more tried and tested setup. The one change from their emphatic win over Chelsea a week ago saw Frida Maanum replace the injured Kim Little.
Arsenal possess the dominant head-to-head record between the two, with six wins and a draw from seven WSL encounters before this game, and would have been optimistic as they look to mount a significant title challenge.
The 11 goals conceded in their previous two WSL games illustrate Tottenham’s defensive issues against the league’s top teams. They are adapting to Vilahamn’s uncompromising attacking setup, the manager’s belief in short-term pain for long-term gain evident.
The first half exemplified this as the hosts limited Arsenal’s opportunities. Kit Graham, normally seen higher up the pitch, looked comfortable in a deeper midfield role. They were frustrating the visitors who were restricted to relatively few clearcut opportunities.
Arsenal moved through the gears as half-time drew near. Player of the match on her first WSL start, Barbora Votikova produced a fingertip save to turn a Maanum effort wide before keeping Victoria Pelova’s curling effort out.
They remained camped in the Tottenham half at the start of the second half, but once again were frustrated by Tottenham’s desire to put their bodies on the line. The threat on the break remained and then Thomas sent shockwaves through their opponents.
Jonas Eidevall threw on all his attacking talent in desperation. Vivianne Miedema made her 100th WSL appearance but Tottenham did not falter despite 11 minutes of stoppage time. It was an afternoon full of frustration for Eidevall whose side dominated statistically but lacked a clinical edge.
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“It is fair to say from a performance perspective we were not as strong as we were against Chelsea, but there is one time they play through the pressure and we get harshly punished,” he said. “Apart from that I think we had control … but we were not able to convert in those situations.”
As the final whistle blew, the party began as Spurs lapped up the applause. Arsenal, meanwhile, know they have handed Chelsea a chance to capitalise when they face Bristol City on Sunday before the winter break.
