North London is red again, Gooners! And after weeks of frustrating results, Arsenal Women finally have something to celebrate.
Renée Slegers’ side came from behind to beat Tottenham 2-1 on Saturday, ending a five-match winless run in the Women’s Super League. Considering the frustration following last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Birmingham, this was a victory we desperately needed.
Spurs Strike First, but Stanway Responds
The derby couldn’t have started much worse. Former Gunner Victoria Pelova delivered a corner and Cathinka Tandberg rose to head Tottenham into the lead in the 13th minute.
We’ve seen Arsenal struggle to respond when things have gone wrong this season, but not this time!
Just four minutes later, Alessia Russo picked out Georgia Stanway, whose powerful strike crashed in off the underside of the crossbar. An immediate response, and exactly the character we wanted to see.
The opening half remained competitive, with Spurs threatening on the break and Arsenal unable to find a second before the interval.
(Photo by Paul Harding/Getty Images)
Russo Completes the Comeback
Arsenal began the second half with more purpose. Russo was denied by an excellent save from Tottenham goalkeeper Lize Kop, while Lisa Baum struck the woodwork as the pressure increased.
Then came the decisive moment.
A scramble following an Arsenal corner ended with the ball striking substitute Ella Morris’s raised arm. The referee awarded a penalty, a decision Tottenham certainly weren’t happy about.
Russo stepped up and calmly converted in the 56th minute, sending Kop the wrong way.
As Arsenal’s official match report confirms, the turnaround was complete, but there was still work to do.
Tottenham pushed for an equaliser, and Shekiera Martinez thought she’d found one late on, only for the offside flag to deny her.
Arsenal held firm to secure three precious points and the north London bragging rights!
The victory lifts Arsenal to sixth and offers some breathing space for Slegers. It doesn’t erase the doubts surrounding our early-season form or the questions about whether Arsenal Women have lost some of their competitive edge.
But a comeback victory away to Spurs is a pretty good place to start rebuilding confidence.
Now we need to carry that same determination into the next match.
Gooners, could this derby victory be the turning point for Arsenal Women, or do you still have concerns about Slegers’ side?
Join the discussion in the comments below.
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