Tottenham Hotspur put seven past Aston Villa in a quite astonishing Barclays Women’s Super League match on Sunday.
In a dazzling attacking display at Villa Park, Spurs systematically took apart their opponents who are in a very concerning patch of defensive form. The home side were not without fight, netting three times themselves, but it simply wasn’t enough to stem the tide from their opponents.
Both teams were looking to bounce back from defeats in the WSL last time out. Aston Villa were coming off the back of four straight losses in all competitions, the latest seeing them fail to contain a resurgent Liverpool. While Spurs put in a good performance but failed to make their chances count against a Chelsea team suffering a dip in form.
Villa remain heavily depleted by injuries, still missing Rachel Daly, Missy Bo Kearns, Paula Tomas, Gabi Nunes and Jill Baijings. Goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angleo and Georgia Mullet joined the injured ranks, but Lucia Kendall was able to return to the match-day squad for the first time since the win against Brighton in January. Natalia Arroyo made five changes from her team’s defeat in Liverpool, Ellie Roebuck came in for the injured D’Angelo. Lucy Staniforth, Chasity Grant, Noelle Maritz, and Lynn Wilms also started. Martin Ho made one change to the side that faced Chelsea, with Maika Hamano coming in for winger Matilda Vinberg.
The midfield would prove to be a key battleground, with key players missing for Aston Villa, while Tottenham were still missing Drew Spence. Spence is serving a three-match suspension for her sending off against West Ham.
With a completely balanced head-to-head record going into the game – 4 wins for Villa, 4 for Spurs with two draws – it looked like it could be a tight encounter, the last four victories for either side having just a goal in it. What was suggested by previous form could not have been further from what played out on the pitch. Ultimately, this was a game to be admired for its attacking displays rather than its defensive ones.
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The Lineups
AST: Roebuck; Wilms, Patten, Parker, Maritz, Staniforth; Taylor, Grant, Jean-François; Hijikata, Hanson
TOT: Kop; Wijk, Koga, Hunt, Nildén; Hamano, Summanen, Gaupset, Blakstad, Holdt; England
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The Action
Spurs dominated the early exchanges, their high press caused Villa all sorts of problems. In the third minute, a misplaced pass was pounced on by Hamano, who found Bethany England in space but Roebuck was equal to her shot. Villa had a bit of hope launching a few of their trademark quick counters, but they were unable to capitalise.
Norwegian wonderkid Signe Gaupset found what felt like the inevitable Spurs opener. Just ten minutes in Gauset went on a fantastic solo run, slicing right through the centre of Villa, laying the ball off to fellow January signing Julie Blakstad. Blakstad returned the ball to her in far too much space and she was able to finish with a great strike. Spurs continued to use the ball wisely, with Villa struggling to get a grip on the game. However in the 15th minute, Villa got an equaliser completely against the run of play, and it was no surprise that it was Kirsty Hanson on a quick counter-attack, who did the necessary. The Scot’s intelligent run onto a neat ball from Noelle Maritz saw her fire home past Lize Kop.
The goal seemed to give Aston Villa a bit of confidence, but the result of taking more risks in possession further up the pitch left them vulnerable on to Tottenham on the counter. Soon Spurs forced a high turnover and gave the Villains a taste of their own medicine – a well-worked counter-attack finished by England. The shot took an unlucky deflection off Anna Patten and looped over Roebuck. Villa were able to find some joy down the right through Chasity Grant, and of course Hanson. In the 22nd minute Hanson was able to put a good looping cross to the back post, which Kop had to punch away, but nothing came of it.
Aston Villa made constant mistakes at the back throughout the first half, and it seemed as though whenever Tottenham entered their defensive third, panic set in. Defenders and goalkeeper alike were guilty of misplaced passes and poor clearances. Spurs’ third came as Olivia Holdt latched on to a poor clearance from Wilms, who then failed to close her down before she slotted past Roebuck.
The visitors dominated the rest of the first half, and could have had a fourth or even a fifth if not for a few smart stops from Roebuck, atoning for some of her earlier errors.
If the first half was marked by defensive shakiness and mistakes, the second descended into chaos. Arroyo opted to bring on Rachel Maltby for Staniforth, a substitution with an attacking lean which had its desired effect. Villa began to threaten, piling pressure on Spurs who looked a little casual in their lead at times. Oriane Jean-François got her side back into it, muscling Evelina Summanen off the ball before seeing her shot deflect off the Fin and loop over Kop.
Just when it looked like Villa were back in it, the visitors responded immediately, substitute Cathinka Tandberg capitalised on yet more unconvincing defending to get a fourth with a well-hit strike. Villa’s defence of the central areas was again found wanting when Gaupset flicked a deft ball with the outside of her boot to Hamano. Hamano despite protests from the home fans, was not offside as she started her run in her own half. The Chelsea loanee was able to calmly take the ball around Ellie Roebuck and finish for Spurs’ fifth.
The pendulum swung again eight minutes later when Hanson received an excellent ball into the box from Wilms. Hanson finished well and again punished Spurs for being a little too open and lacking concentration to properly defend their lead. Villa began to ask questions, and looked unbelievably like they might yet again be back in the game.
But it proved too little, too late. Spurs continued to pile forward and were simply too much for the home side. Tandberg got her second just two minutes after the Villa goal, and Blackstad rose highest to nod home a perfectly delivered corner from Vinberg to make it seven. It could well have been eight as Gaupset mounted yet another excellent run into the box, laying off to Gunning-Williams who, much to the relief of the severely wounded Villa, shot wide.
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Villa lack confidence and quality when it counts
Arroyo said before the game she wanted her side to start strong and play with energy, which simply did not transpire on the pitch. In the first half, Villa looked like a team devoid of confidence. Missing key players, including their captain Rachel Daly, there’s been a need to shuffle players out of their best positions. There is also an over-reliance on Kirsty Hanson to create, who often looks like their main, if not only, goal threat. She is in fine form, the league’s second top scorer, now having scored five in five. But without a solid structure around her, she can’t do it all on her own, even if she did try to numerous times throughout this game.
Disappointing recent results and performances may have forced Arroyo to shuffle her pack, especially without some of her usual first choices available, but the changes were more of a hindrance than a help. Changing personnel at the back, which other than the goalkeeper is not down to injuries, looks to be leading to miscommunication and disorganisation. Tottenham were able to apply constant pressure, forcing Aston Villa into misplaced passes and poor clearances. In this game, Arroyo also deviated from her usual back three to a back four, adding another change for her players to wrap their heads around.
January signing Jean-François, a defensive midfielder by trade, was used more as a secondary striker, giving Spurs an extra player in midfield, and they were able to carve through the Villa’s central areas time and time again. Villa’s injury woes were evident in Arroyo’s half-time substitution, bringing off midfielder Staniforth, an area where they were struggling to win battles, for winger Maltby. The change did mean Jean-François could drop back into her more natural position and partner Miri Taylor and later Kendall in midfield, but it did little to cut off that rich vein for Tottenham. Villa then became too narrow in trying to deal with this threat, opening up space in the wide areas.
Their fight to try and get back into the game in the second half was admirable, and the substitutions of Maltby, Kendall and Salmon made a positive impact. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done, and their attempt at the mother of all comebacks came back to bite them. The score line did not flatter Spurs, who could’ve scored more. Villa were simply too open and desperate to get a handle on the game. Questions must surely be asked of why Arroyo cannot seem to find the balance between attacking flair and the pragmatism required to get results. Their leaky defence is becoming very concerning, and is, as of today, the worst in the league.
Spurs put on a show
In complete contrast to the hosts, Spurs were brimming with confidence and quality. The goals came from six different players, a demonstration of how much attacking depth and quality they’ve added to the squad this season. Statement January signing Signe Gaupset shone, consistently carving through Villa’s midfield with confidence, Villa markers struggling to get near her. Other than getting the opener, her assist for Hamano’s goal was the standout, but she was excellent throughout. Tandberg came off the bench and scored two, offering a completely different threat to Holdt, who she replaced, who was also excellent. Another January addition, Julie Blakstad, was also key, completing the most progressive carries of anyone on the pitch, not to mention nabbing a goal and an assist.
It wasn’t just their strong Scandinavian contingent that caught the eye. Captain England was a constant threat in the box, as well as leading an aggressive Spurs press, which made Villa’s defenders and keeper look very unsure. Hamano has also been an excellent addition, similarly adept at applying pressure and displaying composure to take the ball around Roebuck for her goal.
Martin Ho said in his pre-match interview that he wanted a positive reaction from his team after their defeat to Chelsea, and he most certainly got that. There are elements of the performance he’ll want to work on, however. Aston Villa were able to get back into this game twice, with Tottenham at times looking a bit too open and concerned with finding more goals rather than defending their lead. Perhaps not too worrying in isolation, but cast your mind back to them surrendering a 3-nil lead away at Manchester United in December. It’s something they’ll certainly want to address if they’re going to mount a serious charge for the Champions League spots.