A crowd of 6,788 created a lively backdrop at Brisbane Road for a fiercely fought north London derby. All 1,300 travelling Arsenal supporters responded to Spurs’ anthem with a loud rendition of The Angel, creating an intense derby atmosphere.
Tottenham started sharply. Summanen’s early free kick went straight into the gloves of Daphne van Domselaar, and a seventh-minute foul by Lotte Wubben Moy on Cathinka Tandberg led to a right-footed effort saved low in the bottom corner. Vinberg got the wrong side of Wubben Moy in the box before the Arsenal defender recovered well.
Emily Fox provided Arsenal’s first shot on target after cutting inside, but Kop easily saved her effort. Spurs kept threatening on the counter and should have scored in the 17th minute when Naz escaped down the right, only for Vinberg to miss her low cross.
Caldentey crossed too far, but Katie McCabe collected. Kyra Cooney Cross fired over after the ball ran kindly for her on the edge of the box. Arsenal pressed aggressively, with Stina Blackstenius working tirelessly to unsettle Spurs.
A collision between Steph Catley and Clara Holt from a McCabe corner caused a short delay. Arsenal had only 40 per cent possession by the half-hour mark. McCabe was booed whenever she collected the ball and was later booked for stopping Holdt’s driving run, voicing her complaints to the referee.
Arsenal began to threaten more. Mead set up Russo, whose snapshot missed the target. Blackstenius then had a shot parried at the near post by Kop. With both sides limited to half chances, the first half looked likely to end level. A late free kick after Toko Koga fouled Blackstenius came to nothing, and the teams went in at 0-0.
Second Half
Katie McCabe, on a yellow card, was replaced by Taylor Hinds at halftime, and Olivia Smith came on for Mead. Spurs again started brightly, forcing early corners that van Domselaar dealt with. Smith immediately added threat, dancing through challenges and setting up a golden chance for Blackstenius, who fired over.
Arsenal increased the pressure, with Fox having an effort deflected behind and Smith repeatedly troubling Nilden. Another attack saw Smith find Fox in the box, only for Koga to produce a brave block. Arsenal grew sharper, forcing Spurs to defend deeper.
Maanum replaced Blackstenius as Arsenal continued to push. Smith combined with Russo and saw Kop parry her shot. Spurs introduced captain Beth England for Tandberg to relieve pressure.
Maanum had efforts blocked inside the area, and Caldentey sent a shot over after a short corner. Smith drove past Nilden again, but Spurs coped, with Drew Spence making key interventions and Koga stopping Russo in a crucial one-on-one.
Arsenal won a late free kick when Naz fouled Fox, and Kelly replaced Foord. Play paused when Kop collided with Russo after racing out to claim a long ball. Van Domselaar’s misplaced pass in stoppage time gave Spurs one final opportunity to move upfield, but neither side found a winner.
Reaction
Arsenal forward Caitlin Foord said it was a frustrating afternoon, adding:
"Frustrating. We came here to get three points. Credit to the Spurs for making it tough to play. They got numbers back and really made it difficult for us in the box. They went out to do that and succeeded. We ultimately need a better end product."
Manager quotes
Arsenal manager Renee Slegers said:
"We need clearer and bigger chances."
Tottenham manager Martin Ho said:
"What I said to the players all week was, ' We can either be reckless and play with emotion, or we can take the emotion out and play with performance. I thought the players adapted to the game well. We played through Arsenal well.
It takes courage and bravery to attack Arsenal. We've got young players in the frontline, and maybe we need to risk the ball a bit more. I've asked us to be more fluid with our movement.
We work a lot on that in training, but it's a confidence thing to take on the responsibility."
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