Tottenham Hotspur head coach Rehanne Skinner was delighted with her side’s dominant 4-0 win over Brighton at the Hive but believed one particular goal was especially symbolic of her squad’s effort.
Kyah Simon gave Spurs the early lead before Ashleigh Neville doubled the advantage in the second half, with Shelina Zadorsky and another from Simon putting the game firmly out of the Seagulls’ reach.
But it was Neville’s determination that really stood out to Skinner, who quickly picked out the 28-year-old for extra praise.
She said: “Ash (Neville) has been desperate to score and I’m delighted for her to get on the scoresheet today; she needed that. Shelina’s scored as well, and I think it shows we’ve got players committed to scoring.
“I think the second goal summed us up. You can always count on Ria (Percival) to work incredibly hard in midfield, and she covers some distance. Ash is more than capable of scoring goals like that, and her desire to get forward to support the attack, and finish how she did, was top quality.”
The victory ensured Skinner’s side kept pace with the top of the Barclays FA WSL table, where they sit just one point behind third-placed Manchester United and six behind league leaders Arsenal.
Strong winds in the capital made for difficult conditions, leading to a scrappy opening 45 minutes.
And capitalising on the gusty weather, Molly Bartrip’s ball over the top had the Brighton defence caught between two minds, goalkeeper Walsh unable to judge the flight of the ball.
Simon took full advantage of Walsh’s hesitation, smartly lobbing her to put Spurs ahead.
Percival and the industrious Eveliina Summanen then combined to produce an opening for the Finnish international, who could only drag her effort wide – but it was a different story after the interval as Spurs quickly put the game to bed.
Percival delivered a sumptuous, arched ball in behind the Brighton back four, finding Neville on the run. The substitute produced a brilliant, composed finish to double her side’s advantage.
Captain Zadorsky then tapped home after a goalmouth scramble, Simon lashing home at the far post a minute later to complete a difficult day for the south coast side.
It was a welcome win for Spurs, who fell to Leicester City in the Vitality Women’s FA Cup last weekend before bowing out of the FA Women’s Continental League Cup with a 3-0 loss to Manchester City on Thursday.
Skinner added: “I’m delighted. The team have worked incredibly hard today and I’m just so proud of the energy, the enthusiasm and resilience we showed after a really tough week.
“To get four goals at home, and a clean sheet, is just a fantastic effort from everybody. They’ve done exactly what I’ve asked and stuck to the game plan and exploited Brighton’s weaknesses as best as we possibly could.”
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