Tottenham Hotspur
Starting XI: Kop (GK), Nildén, Naz, England (C), Holdt, Rybrink, Hunt, Spence, Summanen, Dennis, Koga
Subs used: Tandberg 66’, Graham 66’, Gunning-Williams 78’, Ahtinen 78’, Grant 98’
Goal scorers: England 86’ (P)
West Ham United
Starting XI: Szemik (GK), Siren, Ueki, Nyström, Zadorsky, Denton, Martinez, Asseyi, Gorry, Hanshaw, Piubil
Subs used: Walsh 56’, Morgan 63’, Paví 81’
The WSL saw another opening weekend London derby with Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham. Despite the city being pretty troubled with Tube strikes, fans from both sides showed up and they showed up loud.
1735 fans came to Brisbane Road for their first game of the season. A late penalty secured by captain Bethany England secured the North London side 3 points in the WSL.
Spurs started strong with a very early push, led by Jess Naz. Two attempts from the corner followed, but Spurs were unable to convert them into goals.
From the start, the value of Spurs’ new defensive addition Koga was clear, the 19-year-old Japanese international was holding up the side well.
Any breakthrough West Ham made, Koga was there to retrieve possession. She was the only summer transfer to start for either side in today’s match.
Spurs were well energised but messy. A few awkward set pieces and passes let the Irons straight through.
Summanen went down in the 17th minute but soon got back up. Once play resumed, Asseyi, England and Spence all found themselves in a messy collision. England appeared to get hit in the head and prompted gasps from the crowd.
Naz got the squad back on track with a press that gave Spurs a corner. Still, they were unable to make any more of the chance.
In the 25th minute, a swift ball from Koga hit Ueki right in the face. It was a tough incident to watch, play was stopped, and medics were called. Play resumed and Ueki continued.
More chances then came from Naz, but they were well deflected by the Irons. West Ham were defending pretty consistently, with several good tackles made towards the end of the first half, most notably by Siren.
Nyström and Zadorsky were also making good deflections inside the box. There was always a collective breath of excitement from the stands when the ball reached Spurs skipper England.
The 40th minute saw chaos in the Spurs box. There was chance after chance for West Ham, but no ball managed to get past Kop and the rest of the squad.
A shot from Naz, again, unleashed shouting and screaming from the home fans. The strike, much to their dismay, ended up over the bar.
A goalless first half ended after 3 minutes of added time.
The second half kicked off with a push from the Irons. A shot from Piubel went just wide of the hosts’ net. After having to regain possession, West Ham demonstrated some excellent midfield play to get back into an attacking position. Much like it had been for the rest of the match, however their possession was short lived.
Play paused then, when Szemik appeared to have twisted her ankle around the post when making a save. After receiving medical attention, the keeper left the pitch. She was replaced by Walsh in the 56th minute.
The tough times continued for both sides, a tackle from Spence left both herself and Irons skipper Gorry on the floor. Spence was clutching her knee which raised some concern in the stands, but both players were able to continue.
Just over an hour into the game, both Skinner and new head coach Ho decide to show off some of their new summer signings.
For the Irons, Skinner brought on Welsh international Ffion Morgan in place of Piubel. For Spurs, Ho introduces Tandberg to the home fans and Graham made her return to Brisbane Road after an ACL injury last season. They replaced Holdt and Dennis.
It was a dramatic entrance for Tandberg who, just minutes later, was shown the yellow card for a tackle on Asseyi. The decision was met with boos from the crowd.
Asseyi soon found herself in trouble again. She was given a warning from the referee for a tackle made against Spence.
Substitutions continued for both sides. Gunning-Williams came on in place of Spence and Ahtinen replaced Naz for the hosts. Not long after, Paví entered the pitch in place of Martinez for the visitors.
As the game was drawing to a close, Spurs were awarded a penalty for Gorry’s tackle against Summanen in the box.
Skipper England stepped up to the spot and pummelled the ball straight into the top right corner. “Oh Bethany England”, the fans chanted from the stands as their captain opened their scoring for the 25/26 season.
8 minutes of extra time were added to the derby. Just as officials made the announcement, medics entered the pitch to see to Ahtinen, who rejoined play after 2 minutes.
The final minutes of the game found West Ham with a free kick. Taken by Asseyi, the rest of the side lined up desperately to try and salvage a last-minute point, but they were unsuccessful.
Seconds left of the game, and Ho saw another substitution with Grant who came on to replace goal scorer England. After 100 minutes, the whistle was blown and the Spurs began their 25/26 campaign victorious with a 1-0 win.
Spurs captain Bethany England chasing down the ball. Photo: Spurs Women