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WSL

Ashleigh Neville Still Scoring for Spurs

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Photo: Leicester City Women

Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Leicester City

12:00 KO

11th January 2026

Tottenham Hotspur

Starting XI: Kop (GK), Nildén, Gaupset, England (C), Holdt, Rybrink, Vinberg, Hunt, Spence, Summanen, Koga

Goal scorers: Neville 40’ (OG)

Subs used: Hamano 64’, Thomas 72’

Leicester City

Starting XI: Clark (GK), Kees, Tierney (C), van Egmond, Ale, Mayling, Cain, McLoughlin, O’Brien, Neville, Swaby

Subs used: Mouchon 68’, Goodwin 74’, Jansson 74’, Ayane 90+1’

Tottenham Hotspur kicked off 2026 by hosting Leicester City at home for their first WSL fixture of the year. Both sides have made some interesting signings so far this January window. Tottenham started Norwegian international Signe Gaupset, but kept the rest on the bench, including Chelsea’s Hamano who is currently with Spurs on loan. Leicester, on the other hand, made quite the statement by starting Ashleigh Neville this afternoon. Neville left Spurs to sign for Leicester just three days ago, after over a decade at the club, and she is already back on what was her home turf, just in a different shirt. 

Leicester kicked off the first half but struggled to hold on to that possession throughout the opening minutes of the match. 

An early throw in from the Foxes’ Skipper Tierney saw an opportunity for the visitors but it was seemingly wasted as Spurs dominated their box. It wasn’t long before another lapse in judgement, when Leicester again lost possession in a dangerous area of the pitch, mere yards from goal, but the hosts couldn’t turn it into a shot. After facing significant pressure in their own half, the Foxes reversed and made a run for goal. A ball from new signing Mayling was well delivered to Van Egmond, but Kop deflected it. 

“There’s only one Ashleigh Neville” was heard from the stands, as she took a shot against her former club that ended up off target. It was a seemingly warm reception for the ex-Spurs fan favourite. 

Cain then took a shot against Kop. Whilst it appeared already off target, Kop pushed it further out past the post just to be sure. “Lize Kop Kop Kop”, the home fans sang in response. 

As the first half wound down, there was more excitement for the home fans. A ball driven by skipper England left Holdt 1v1 with Clark, but the ball hit the woodwork. 

The excitement continued with a corner from Summanen that ended in commotion in the box. An own goal from the Foxes was the verdict, off the head of none other than Neville. Not the impression she wanted to make against her former club surely. Spurs went into the break 1-0 up after one minute of added time. 

Tottenham opened the second half with dominance and confidence. England drove the ball to the visitors’ end, passed to Vinberg to take the shot that was then blocked by the Foxes. England and Vinberg continued to link up to press forward and had the possibility to look threatening, especially when they included Spurs newcomer Gaupset to heighten the press. Foxes forward Swaby denied them of any further chances.

There was a short stoppage in play as O’Brien received attention from medics, but she returned to the pitch a few minutes later.

As the second half ploughed on, it was time for another Spurs debut. Hamano entered the pitch in the 64thminute in place of fellow January signing Gaupset. Hamano has seen much success in her time at Chelsea; she looked a good fit with Martin Ho’s strengthening side. Leicester then also switched things around by bringing on Mouchon to replace Cain.

Leicester tried to be threatening in the box, the rebound driven by Neville who must have been on a quest for redemption, but it amounted to nothing, and the hosts regained possession pretty swiftly. 

They made another change then, bringing on Thomas to replace Vinberg. More substitutions then for Leicester as new signing Jansson came on to replace McLoughlin and Goodwin took the place of van Egmond.

In the 82nd minute, Tierney was shown the yellow card after committing a foul. The subsequent free kick was taken by Summamen and the chances that followed seemed promising. England delivered the ball to Hunt who was not only offside but hit the post anyway. There were many loud sighs from the home fans. You could definitely see an improvement in Spurs, under the leadership of Ho. They were able to create more chances in front of goal but still struggled to make anything meaningful out of them. There was another chance again in the 90th minute, it looked super exciting for the home fans. Thomas drove the ball, passed to an open England who, under pressure, passed to Koga and then the chance was gone. 

7 minutes were added. As the additional time began, Ayane came on for the Foxes to replace O’Brien. 7 minutes could be ample time to find an equaliser for some sides, but this Leicester squad were just putting out fires where they could. Neville was then shown the yellow card for a bad foul. 

Tottenham took the 3 points, interestingly, with thanks to that own goal from Neville. An own goal against your former club that bumps them up to 4th in the table. Who would have thought?

Photo from GETTY IMAGES
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WSL

Spurs Secure 3 Points After England Penalty – Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United

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

Categories
WSL

Manchester United Women: Summer 2025 Transfer Window Round-Up and Analysis

Image from Manchester United

Manchester United Women kept their business tight but purposeful this summer, adding three star internationals to their roster while saying goodbye to some familiar faces. The arrivals of Fridolina Rolfö, Jess Park, and Julia Zigiotti Olme look set to reshape Marc Skinner’s side heading into the 2025/26 campaign.

United’s headline signing came in mid-August with the addition of Fridolina Rolfö from Barcelona. The Swedish international brings with her Champions League medals, over 100 caps for her country, and the sort of versatility that makes her invaluable in modern football. At Barça, she was equally effective as a marauding full-back and as an advanced winger; scoring goals, creating chances, and providing defensive stability when required. Her arrival gives Skinner an elite ball-carrier down the left, a consistent source of crosses, and a set-piece threat.

For United, the benefits are clear. In a back four, Rolfö can transform build-up by pushing high and wide, allowing the winger ahead of her to tuck inside. In a back three, she slots naturally into the wing-back role, balancing defensive cover with attacking thrust. If there is a concern, it is workload management: after years of club and international intensity, United will need to be smart with her minutes.

Deadline day saw United strike one of the most eye-catching deals of the window. A straight swap that sent Grace Clinton to Manchester City and brought Jess Park over to the Reds. At just 23, Park is already known for her ability to receive in tight pockets, turn quickly, and release forwards with incisive passing. Her dribbling in central areas and knack for finding space between the lines could add something different to United’s attack.

Skinner now has a genuine playmaker to operate as a No.10 in his preferred 4-2-3-1, or as an inverted right winger who can drive inside and combine with overlapping full backs. The deal was a shock for fans, but Park’s creativity and energy look tailor-made for a side that has sometimes struggled to unlock deep defences.

The first arrival of the summer, Julia Zigiotti Olme, arrived from Bayern Munich at the end of July. The 27-year-old Swedish international will also be crucial in building a balanced side as a hard-working, defensively sound midfielder. She excels at screening the back line and recycling possession. She allows her teammates to push forward with confidence.

United’s midfield has sometimes been left exposed, especially against Europe’s best. With the UWCL on the horizon for the club, Zigiotti’s presence should provide the stability needed to unleash the full attacking potential of Park and Rolfö.

The window wasn’t without exits. Aoife Mannion joined Newcastle United after her contract expired, while youngster Jess Simpson left on loan to Southampton. Most significantly, Grace Clinton moved to City in the Park swap deal, depriving United of one of their brightest academy graduates.

This was not a scattergun window: it was targeted, deliberate, and focused on quality over quantity. United may not have matched rivals in volume of signings, but in Rolfö they have a world-class operator, in Park a creative spark, and in Zigiotti Olme, the balance to knit it all together.

Squad depth remains a concern, but the squad looks stronger and more tactically versatile than it did last season. The club are undoubtably hungry for more silverware, having gone without since their success in the 2024 FA Cup final. If the new signings settle quickly, United should have the tools to push on both domestically and in Europe.