Arsenal played out a goalless draw with Women’s Super League rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Brisbane Road on Sunday afternoon.
Martin Ho’s resilient Spurs side condemned the Gunners to a second successive draw in the league when they welcomed Renée Slegers’ outfit in front of a record crowd for the first North London derby of the Women’s Super League (WSL) season.
Both teams came into the game level on points (15), meaning a victory for either team would see them close the gap to leaders Manchester City but also gain the all-important bragging rights. Both teams were looking to bounce back after dropping points in their previous games.
Spurs boss Ho named an unchanged starting XI from last weekend’s disappointing 4-2 loss to London City Lionesses, meaning captain Bethany England remained on the bench, with top-scorer Tandberg leading the line.
Slegers made one change to the Gunners’ starting eleven after a scathing midweek defeat to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Kyra Cooney-Cross replaced Victoria Pelova as she started her first game since April, whilst Catley remained captain in the absence of Leah Williamson.
The Lineups
TOT: Kop; Neville, Koga, Hunt, Nildén; Summanen, Spence; Naz, Holdt, Vinberg; Tandberg
ARS: van Domselaar; Fox, Wubben-Moy, Catley, McCabe; Mariona, Cooney-Cross, Russo; Mead, Foord, Blackstenius
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The Action
Spurs made the stronger start out of the two teams, as they looked to capitalise on some perhaps tired legs from Arsenal’s European midweek outing. They retained possession well and nullified any Arsenal threats well in the opening quarter of an hour. However, they themselves lacked any purpose with the ball and their caution with it led to little chances being created, despite the high percentage of possession.
Tottenham’s bright start finally yielded an opportunity. A brilliant, flowing passing move from front to back, sliced through Arsenal’s press and found Jess Naz with space to drive on the right-hand side. Her ferocious cross just avoided a sprinting Tandberg who couldn’t make contact with the ball but was the first attacking bright spark for both sides.
The Gunners did finally begin to find their place in the game, and after a rare opportunity with space in between the lines, Catlin Foord glided past Ashleigh Neville and cut it back towards Kyra Cooney Cross. From the edge of the box, she fired just over but signalled a change in momentum in the game.
Tottenham continued to attempt to build up from the back, but didn’t look assured doing so. Multiple times did Arsenal intercept the ball playing out the back but didn’t have the quality or quickness to fully capitalise on the mistakes. Arsenal continued to push, and after sustained possession, Beth Mead left a lovely, cushioned ball into the path of Alessia Russo, but she fired wide.
Mead continued to find space and slid a ball into the path of Stina Blackstenius, who checked the defender and from a tight angle forced a good save. A tough chance for Blackstenius to convert.
The final action of the half was a free kick for Arsenal in a really promising position. To sum up the nature of the first half, the free kick by Mead was tamely hit into the wall and drew the half to a close. A toothless first half from both teams, as Spurs who started better, became a strong defensive unit, in which a slow and sloppy Arsenal struggled to break down.
The Gunners came out a much stronger outfit in the second half, mainly due to the impact of Olivia Smith, who replaced Beth Mead at half time. Smith made an instant impact, as she dribbled past Amanda Nildén and cut it back for an onrushing Blackstenius who fired over from the edge of the six-yard box.
The clearest chance for either side of the game so far. Smith continued to cause havoc down the right-hand side and quickly became Arsenal’s most potent threat by some margin. After great intricate play and an inventive flick from substitute Maanum, Smith’s powerful shot was saved well by Kop.
This would prove to be the last goal mouth action for either team as Arsenal despite attempts to probe, really struggled to breakdown a resilient Spurs defence, who were determined to leave with a point. The referee drew the proceedings to a close, as Arsenal failed to close the gap to leaders Manchester City and remained level on points with their rivals from across the pond.
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Abject Arsenal struggle to find cutting edge
The Gunners would have been hoping for a quick turnaround to a difficult loss in Munich, but failed to respond, during what turned out to be a frustrating afternoon. A slow and sluggish start set the tone for Arsenal, as they never looked truly like scoring and troubling a stubborn Spurs defence.
This draw leaves Arsenal level on points with Tottenham (16) and more looking over their shoulder at the upcoming London City Lionesses, who now lie just one point behind, rather than in front to leaders Manchester City.
Many will question whether Olivia Smith should have started the game for Arsenal, who came off the bench and made such an impact offensively for the Gunners. Many might interpret Slegers approach as too pragmatic, and despite large periods of sustained possession, they were largely underwhelming, and Spurs keeper Kop was rarely challenged.
This draw means Arsenal have now dropped 11 points, and we are only in November. It’s their fewest points gained after nine WSL matches since 2014 (also 11), and many would have therefore thought a good performance against local rivals would be a good way to create optimism and swing momentum, but this was far from the case.
It’s the fifth game this season the Gunners have dropped points and makes Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Real Madrid all the more important.
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Resolute Tottenham earn valuable point
Martin Ho’s side continued to perform well and earned a deserved point against the Gunners. This tie was dubbed by many as the closest it has ever been and gave Tottenham the chance to take points of their rivals for only the second time in their history.
This game was a real opportunity for Spurs to show the progress they have made under Martin Ho this season, and they showcased this in the second half.
The resilient streak they have adopted under Ho was put to the test after the break, with Olivia Smith causing many problems down the right, but in keeping with their season, Tottenham pushed through.
It’s a point that on the surface may seem insignificant, but it’s a point that indicates that the gap is closing between them and their rivals, who are no longer far superior. Spurs will be looking to continue this momentum after the international break.
Tottenham Hotspur Player Ratings
Lize Kop – 8/10 – Despite the little action she faced, when challenged she performed her role more than effectively make a couple of good saves.
Ashleigh Neville – 6/10 – Despite winning most duels in the match (9), struggled at times do deal with the directness of Catlin Foord and often found herself the wrong side and committing a foul.
Toko Koga – 7/10 – Looked strong in the resilient Spurs defence, but didn’t particularly make a star impact.
Clare Hunt – 7/10 – Really assured performance, who was the key figure in a defensive unit that was so strong.
Amanda Nildén – 5/10 – A strong first half but really struggled to deal with Olivia Smith when she was introduced. Never once laid a glove on Smith, who continuously created chances.
Drew Spence – 7/10 – Quietly went about her business very well. Made 10 defensive contributions and worked well with the ball.
Eveliina Summanen – 6/10 – Composed figure throughout who did well to control the tempo in the first half. Her impact however was reduced drastically in second half.
Matilda Vinberg – 6/10 – Brightest spark for Spurs in the first 45’. However, impact and prevalence drained significantly after the break.
Olivia Holdt – 6/10 – Rarely put a foot wrong, but also failed to make any impression that was worth remembering.
Jess Naz – 6/10 – Emily Fox nullified her threat well, but still showed flashes of brightness with her pace down the line.
Cathinka Tandberg – 7/10 – Always gave 100% effort and was often the only person leading the press towards the front. Would have liked to have had more of an impact offensively, despite her limited opportunities.
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Arsenal Player Ratings
Daphne van Domselaar – 6/10 – Very little to do for van Domselaar in this game. Looked confident when called into action however not so much when playing out from the back. A theme for both goalkeepers.
Emily Fox – 6/10 – Dealt effectively with Naz throughout the game. Also posed a threat going forward, and was the most fouled player during the match.
Lotte Wubben-Moy – 7/10 – Arsenal’s best defender on the pitch. Looked composed when dealing with danger and posed a threat offensively with her driving runs through the lines.
Steph Catley – 6/10 – As captain would have liked to impact the game further. Will be disappointed with her team’s overall energy levels.
Katie McCabe – 6/10 – Had a strong first 45 and can count herself unlucky to have been withdrawn at the interval. Her early yellow card may have played a role in her withdrawal.
Mariona Caldentey – 6/10 – Really struggled to impose herself on the game, seemingly lacking awareness and energy at times.
Kyra Cooney-Cross – 6/10 – An assured first start since April for Cooney Cross. She would have liked to impact the game more, however.
Beth Mead – 5/10 – Quiet first half who was unfortunate to be taken off before she could impact the game further.
Caitlin Foord – 7/10 – Brightest spark of the front three that started. Caused real problems for Neville all game.
Alessia Russo – 6/10 – Quieter game from Russo than usual who often found herself often dropping deep to involve herself in the game.
Stina Blackstenius – 6/10 – Had moments of brightness and carried a threat throughout. She will be annoyed however to have not finished her chance on the edge of the six-yard box.
Notable Arsenal substitutes
Olivia Smith (45’) – 8/10 – Immense impact from the bench. Caused havoc for the Tottenham back line and was by far the brightest spark in the game. With hindsight, her starting may have yielded a different result.
Hinds (45’) – 7/10 – Strong performance when she came on. Offered something different to McCabe and removed the threat of the yellow card.
The Halfway Line Player of the Match: Lize Kop