By Eloise Smallbone (19/12/25)
Above: The Tottenham team before last Sunday’s fixture at United Photo: @SpursWomen on X
Tottenham Hotspur will be hoping to go one step further in the Subway Cup against Manchester United this Sunday, having given up a 3-0 lead in the same league fixture last weekend.
Martin Ho revealed today that his team will be aiming to “reap some of the same performance” as last Sunday against Manchester United, “but with slight differences”, when the two sides face each other again in the League Cup quarter-final on Sunday.
Rivalry with Manchester United
Spurs and Manchester United faced each other as recently as last Sunday, where the two sides left Leigh Sports Village with a point apiece after a thrilling 3-3 draw. Ho described his pride at his side’s performance, as Leigh Sports Village is a “tough place to go and play” and he highlighted that Manchester United don’t tend to concede many goals at their home stadium.
Ho said that he “couldn’t have asked any more from the player” and that at the weekend they hope to “reap some of the same performance with slight differences”, including defending more diligently throughout the game.
Ho also credited the players for their mentality, explaining that: “The difference in the mentality of the group is that they were annoyed coming off the pitch.”
Ho added: “We are now in a space where we expect to win and we want to win” which “shows how far we have come.”
As well as the most recent fixture against Manchester United, Spurs also have the 2024 FA Cup final as motivation for Sunday’s tie, in which they lost 4-0 in front of a packed out Wembley. They also currently sit only one place below Manchester United in the WSL, after finishing sixth last season just behind Manchester United in sixth. This shows how competitive the two teams have become with each other over recent seasons and sets up another exciting fixture on Sunday.
His ambitions and Tottenham’s season so far
At the halfway point in the WSL season, Spurs have already surpassed their total number of points from last season, and Ho credited the players and staff for this. He explained that the club are benefiting from the players and staff working extremely hard, adding they he is “not surprised by their work ethic, commitment to doing things, application and attitude.”
Ho also described his own ambitions for the club, saying:
“I want to make sure I bring success to this club; we want to bring trophies to this club.”
The Spurs Head Coach also explained that he takes all the domestic competitions seriously and that the League Cup is an opportunity for silverware. If Spurs win against Manchester United at the weekend, they could face Arsenal in the semi-final, with Ho saying, “I’m confident no matter who we come up against” and “we can be competitive with anyone”. Ho’s positive mentality and leadership have been crucial to his team’s success so far this season. He explained that the team have built a strong mentality this season, arriving at Leigh Sports Village last weekend with a “quiet confidence that we could be competitive”.
Ho also thanked the fans for being outstanding, both home and away this season; describing them as the “extra spark” who help the team get over the line in tough games.
What to expect from Sunday
Ho also told the media that we can expect the same squad as last weekend. However, he was excited to share that some of the players who were injured on international break have started to return to training this week and a lot of these players should be back on the pitch as we head into 2026.
Tottenham will face Manchester United at 1pm BST on Sunday 21st December for a place in the League Cup semi-final. The game will be available to watch on the WSL YouTube channel.
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