@SpursOfficial
Sat. December 2023, 14:18|Tottenham Hotspur
Martha Thomas fired us to our first-ever victory over Arsenal Women on an historic day at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.
After enduring the tension of the Gunners and having a couple of chances ourselves, we took the lead after thirteen minutes of play in the second half when Thomas made a smart move that left the absolutely baffled.
We finished superbly for the rest of the match, bodyguard Barbora Votikova was in perfect condition for her first start in the Women’s Super League, and we may have added a moment right at the end of a long era of stoppage time when she broke away after several Arsenal corners, but substitute Rosella Ayane saw her shot blocked into the empty net. However, it was a remarkable overall performance against one of the most productive formed groups in the WSL and it means we moved on to the group. Festive break with an acceptable result, as we ended our five-game winless streak in the league in the most productive way imaginable.
Robert Vilahamn largely stuck with the same formula that yielded a point at Arsenal in the Conti Cup in midweek, captain Bethany England coming in for Jessica Naz in the only change to the starting XI, but we had to be resilient in the face of some heavy Gunners pressure, particularly from the wide areas as they sent some dangerous crosses into our box and tried a handful of angled shots, but nothing that could get past Votikova.
England’s first attempt was consistently held through Manuela Zinsberger, but the Gunners soon began to create chances, with Alessia Russo and Lotte Wubben-Moy heading home before Caitlin Foord hit the far post following an attack from the left. Celin Bizet controlled to create a couple of useful balls into the box from the right flank as we started to find our way forward, but the visitors were still a risk and after Foord’s angled shot narrowly missed, Frida Maanum headed wide and then persuaded Votikova for a fine save. who then turned away Victoria Pelova before the break.
The same thing happened after the restart, with Maanum’s shot well saved and Alessia Russo heading wide, while a very good block from centre-back Molly Bartrip repelled Beth Mead. But most of all, we stayed strong and, in the 58th minute, we surprised the visitors with a well-worked first goal, Thomas sent the ball to Bizet on the right, who showed wonderful vision to locate Thomas arriving on the edge of the box and the latter sliding low into the net.
Russo’s acrobatic effort didn’t really bother Votikova as Arsenal tried to respond, with Amy Turner, Ashleigh Neville and Angharad James making very good blocks and defensive interventions for the rest of the competition. Votikova, previously booked for wasting time, claimed an indirect effort from Kyra Cooney-Cross while Foord failed to connect with a header from the centre of the box and Amanda Ilestedt headed over the bar from a corner.
However, after enduring all the Arsenal tension for more than 11 minutes of added time, we had a golden opportunity to score in the final seconds when Jessica Naz released her compatriot Ayane on the counter-attack following a corner from goalkeeper Zinsberger. But the attacker’s attempt towards the empty goal was blocked. It didn’t matter because the final whistle immediately blew, much to the delight of the audience!
Goal: Spurs – Thomas 58.
Yellow cards: Spurs – Votikova 70; Arsenal – Wubben-Average 63.
Referee: Cheryl Foster.
Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Climate: Temperate, degrees.
Attendance: 19,480.