By Rachel Gore at The Emirates Stadium for Impetus (17/2/25)
Above: Leah Williamson and Chloe Kelly celebrate after victory in the North London Derby Photo: Arsenal FC
With over 56,000 fans in the stand, Arsenal shut down Spurs in a dominant display, winning 5-0
How Spurs were silenced by Arsenal
After they had spent the first few minutes holding the ball in the centre of the pitch, Arsenal broke into their attacking half just before the five-minute mark. This initial press set the tone for the remainder of the match, in which Arsenal would dominate.
The Gunners were closely marked by Spurs, and it was not long before a mistake by Arsenal’s captain, Leah Williamson, saw the ball land at Beth England’s feet. England took this opportunity and made a strong attacking run; she’d been left unmarked by Arsenal with no red kit in sight. Defensive play by Arsenal’s Kyra Cooney-Cross, however, saw Arsenal regain possession. Although, Cooney-Cross’ next move came at a price, her shove onto her Matilda’s teammate, Hayley Raso, saw a free kick be given to Spurs.
At 6 minutes, van Domselaar made her first save from this free kick, leading Arsenal to regain possession and start a series of attempts on goal. Throughout the whole game, the home side made 27 shots, 50% of which were on target, a statistic which their manager, Renée Slegers, described as “big” for her team.
It was at 15 minutes, that one of these attempts made it to the back of the net for the first time. A Cooney-Cross assist led Alessia Russo to head the ball towards the goal. What initially appeared to be, and was announced in the stadium as, a goal from Russo was in fact an own goal from Australian Clare Hunt.
It was after these first 15 minutes that Spurs lost their “decision making”, according to their manager, Robert Vilahamn.
This opening goal lit a fire within Arsenal who immediately went on the attack and continued to dominate for the remainder of the first half. Their efforts were rewarded when Mariona Caldentey took the ball from Hunt and flicked it into the back of the net, doubling Arsenal’s lead at 35 minutes.
Just before the break, it looked like a third goal was coming for Arsenal, this time from Caitlin Foord.
After half time, Foord utilised the momentum from her miss to provide a pass at 51 minutes which led Frida Maanum to collect the ball from Hunt and firmly strike it over Kop’s head.
The derby was proving to go against Hunt’s favour as the Matilda opened the score line with an own goal, gave the ball away to Caldentey and Maanum who both scored and, at 47 minutes was given a yellow card for a tackle on Russo.
With a 3-0 scoreline, a growing collection of yellow cards, and Chloe Kelly warming up on the sidelines, it was looking like Spurs’ struggle was only going to grow.
Foord further extended her impact when she offered a clean assist, following a strong run, to Russo at 58 minutes.
It was just moments after this, that Kelly stepped onto the grass in an Arsenal shirt for the first time in 2815 days, her last appearance having come in 2016.
Making her return to North London, the Lioness made her presence known in under ten minutes when she flicked the ball over the net. Each touch Kelly had on the ball was met by cheers from Gooners in the stands, with a particularly loud applause coming when she took a corner from the left-hand side, and another when she slid the ball to Stina Blackstenius moments before the 90-minute mark.
It was then time for Nighswonger’s Emirates debut, at 86 minutes. The American defender made her skillset known as Spurs went on the attack. Tottenham’s efforts, however, went unrewarded as Arsenal pushed the ball away from the visitors’ attacking half.
To Spurs’ dismay, Emily Fox was soon on the counterattack with a beautiful shot from outside of the box, which hit the back of the net at 90 minutes. This stunning goal came from a Kim Little assist and was described by Vilahamn as a display of “brilliant finishing”.
The whistle blew, leaving Arsenal with 5 goals, a clean sheet, and performance to be proud of. Spurs, on the other hand, took to the tunnel disappointed after a match in which they failed to impress.
Has the quality of Spurs declined since last year?
Vilahamn’s dissatisfaction was evident in the post-match media conference as he said, “when you lose in big numbers, it’s tough”.
He described the first 15 minutes of the match as being “really good” for Spurs and praised their second half substitutions for helping his team to “get back in the game”.
One Tottenham player who did impress was goalkeeper, Kop, who Vilahamn described as a signing that he is “happy with”. He has a “strong belief” that Kop can take the team to a higher place in the WSL table.
Prior to today’s North London Derby, Spurs sat in sixth place in the table. Whilst they’ve maintained this position, the gap between themselves and Brighton, who sit above them, is widening.
Vilahamn acknowledged that Arsenal deserved the three points and recognised that “they are one of the best teams in the world and we [Spurs] are not”.
According to Vilahamn, “most teams” will lose against Arsenal away and it is the 5-0 scoreline that is “not good”. He emphasised the power of playing at home and how today’s game being at the Emirates benefited Arsenal.
As well as this, he also noted that the home side have “experience which Tottenham doesn’t have” and praised the “world leading” way in which they bring crowds into their stadiums.
Last year, the aggregate score for Arsenal and Spurs’ WSL face offs was 1-1. however so far this season, the score sits at 8-0 to Arsenal.
Vilahamn said that questions regarding this apparent decline in Tottenham’s form “should come”. Although, these losses are part of his “journey” and he has “strong belief” in his players.
The factors behind Arsenal’s victory, in Slegers words
There were changes to Arsenal’s squad, including the addition of Kelly on the bench, and the exclusion of Lotte Wubben-Moy. Slegers said that Wubben-Moy suffered a “muscle problem during the week and she’s going to get a scan”.
Speaking on Kelly’s “comeback in an Arsenal shirt”, Slegers described her message to the forward before she stepped out today at the Emirates. She provided “a couple of technical messages and just check[ed] in”. Beyond today’s fixture, Slegers emphasised how Kelly has been “smiling a lot in training and working very hard”, stating that Kelly is “very happy with where she’s at”.
Another forward that Slegers commented on was Russo. The manager described Russo as “very very sharp” saying that “she’s a fantastic footballer” who is “versatile, can play different roles” and “goes well in and out of possession”.
Slegers spoke on Caldentey with similar enthusiasm, describing her as “amazing”. She went on to say that Caledentey “is everything that football is to me” and that “everything she does makes it easier for the other players”.
When asked about Spurs, Slegers highlighted her respect for Vilahamn and “what he wants to build” saying that she wants “to give him credit on the way he wants to work”. She added that Arsenal “had to nullify” Spurs and predicted that the visitors would “go for fast attacks and counter attacks” after seeing their lineup.
As Vilahamn did, Slegers noted the home advantage that Arsenal experienced. She described the “beautiful pitch” that comes with playing at the Emirates and happily stated that the “big crowd” has “been so inspiring for us”.
The six Matildas on the pitch
Six Matildas hit the grass at the Emirates today, showcasing the talent of the Australian national team.
Despite Hunt not performing to the best of her ability, as discussed above, her fellow Matildas offered high quality performances.
For Spurs, Raso played strongly on the left-hand side of the pitch. She caused issues for Arsenal and found herself amongst the action for the majority of the first half. Grant only entered the pitch for the final 10 minutes when she contributed to one of Spurs’ most promising attacking runs.
All three of Arsenal’s Australian players featured in the starting eleven. Foord and Cooney-Cross contributed to goals, getting assists and making passes to forwards throughout the match.
Defensive moves by Steph Catley also stood out and were recognised by Slegers in the post-match media conference. Slegers said: “It’s about the details, Steph Catley is a great example of that, she’s done so many things today in the game which are so helpful”.
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Van Domselaar, Fox, Williamson, Catley, Mariona, McCabe, Maanum, Walti, Foord, Russo, Cooney-Cross Substitutes: Codina, Nighswonger, Little ,Kelly, Blackstenius, Reid, Ilestedt, Zinsberger, Mead
Scorers: Hunt (OG) 15’, Caldentey 35’, Maanum 51’, Russo 58’, Fox 90’
Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Kop, Neville, Bartip, Hunt, Nildén, Csiki, Oroz, Vinberg, Raso, Naz, England Substitutes: Grant, Morris, Spence , Holdt, Thomas, Spencer, Rybrink, Bühler, Ahtinen
Referee: Stacey Fullicks.
Attendance: 56,784
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