Spurs suffer narrow defeat against Man United

Photo: Hinata Miyazawa. Credit: Manchester United Women

Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Manchester United

A Women's Super League night under the lights ended 1-0 as Manchester United defeated Tottenham Hotspur in their own stadium.

Man United held control over the game throughout the 1st half and the tail end of the 2nd too, but only Terland’s early strike managed to cross the hosts’ goal line.

The game began with an attack from Spurs, but United were quick to take over possession.

A lapse in Spurs’ defence saw the ball fall to United number 7 Ella Toone, but the shot was saved easily by Kop.

A long pass from skipper Le Tissier saw the ball quickly back in the home team’s half and, with an assist from Riviere, United’s summer signing Terland opened the scoring just 6 minutes in.

Tottenham appeared to struggle to maintain control of the ball, the Red Devils making frequent attacks towards goal.

A free kick for United ended in a defensive tussle that left Spurs Skipper England on the floor.

Play soon resumed and Naz led the charge into the United half.

Defence from Riviere and Turner cut the attacks short. A free kick was then awarded to Spurs following a tackle from Janssen towards Naz. Despite a solid attempt, the ball went straight for the gloves of Tullis-Joyce.

Tottenham continued to struggle defensively. Groans were heard from the stands as they give up possession again, scarily close to the box.

Minutes later, the stands were screaming as Australian Raso led a strong attack. However, the shot ended up severely wide of the post.

At the 23’ mark, Raso saw the yellow card from the referee following a tackle on Riviere. George took the following free kick, before Galton knocked it over the bar.

Naz, who proved herself a valuable part of Tottenham’s attack, led another charge forward that ended in a good shot from Raso but still couldn’t get through Tullis-Joyce.

A corner from George was then quickly batted away by Nildén. A goal kick then saw the ball back in the visitors’ half, but the Reds’ defence wasn’t for letting up yet.

As the first half began to draw to a close, further clumsiness from the Spurs’ defence saw the ball with Toone near the edge of the box.

The shot was saved well by Kop, as Toone dropped to her knees in frustration. Toone soon has the ball again and tries to push forward but she is blocked by Neville.

Terland and Bizet continued to press on, but Tottenham were closing the holes in their defence. Terland then just about managed to find a gap, resulting in another close save from Kop.

The first half ended with a free kick from Bartrip, but United’s defence remained stable. The visitors successfully deflected the attempt before the half-time whistle was blown.

The second half kicks off with further strong attacks from United. However, Tottenham appeared to want to bring more energy into the rest of the game.

A corner kick from Spurs was controlled well by Neville, but the Reds’ hold tight. It was an exciting minute or so for the home fans as the Spurs took multiple shots.

Although, there was no getting through United’s defence, and it was Le Tissier to eventually redirected the ball.

With the game focused yet again on United’s attack, Janssen fired a rocket of a ball towards Kop in the Spurs goal, however it ended up just wide of the bar.

United then seemingly had a slip in focus and England charged towards the goal. The stands were in arms, but defender George soon brought the attack to a close.

The 60th minute saw a stoppage in play as Janssen was seen to by medics on the pitch. After 2 minutes, play resumed and Janssen was able to re-enter the pitch.

Yet again, Tottenham gave up possession to Terland, bringing on yet another tough save from Kop.

The 64th minute then saw 3 substitutions for Manchester United. Sandberg came on in place of George, Malard replaced Galton and Awujo replaced Janssen.

Naz, who has to be commended for her attacking skills, made a great shot from just outside the box. Despite its power, it was still no match for GK Tullis-Joyce.

United regained possession, and it was yet again Naz who tried to flip the narrative. It was a tackle from Bizet that ended that particular attempt.

Further shots then taken by United, notably Turner and Malard, but their attempts were fruitless.

Sandberg was quick to make her mark on the game as she nutmegged Raso in order to regain United’s possession.

A corner kick from Toone saw the action remain in the hosts’ half for a while, before Raso led another push forward. Skipper England made an attempt at goal that was pipped just over the crossbar.

Then, as the 77th minute rolled around, Tottenham made their first substitution of the evening and brought Holdt off the bench in place of Thomas, the former United forward.

After a strong United deflection, Toone rushed to the ball but was outran by Naz, switching the direction of play back to United attack.

There was a sense of frustration from the Reds who seemed to be struggling to create decent chances, despite their possession and control.

In the 84th minute, Spurs made a further 2 substitutions. Csicki came on for Rybrink, ending her debut for the club. Vinberg also came on to replace Naz.

Before Tottenham could try their last-minute attempt to split the points, play was stopped as United medics saw to Riviere. Then, in the 88th minute, Mannion came on to replace her.

Officials announced 6 minutes of added time, as the players all found themselves in the Spurs’ box. United were still attacking, all 11 Tottenham players in the area to maintain their defences.

In the final minutes, Holdt made a last attempt that was denied by Le Tissier. Hunt then tried her own luck, but it was another Tullis-Joyce save.

The final whistle blew, and United claimed not just another 3 points, but also regained their 2nd place spot in the WSL table. A disappointing night for the home fans, and I’m sure the away fans hoped for more too. However, 3 points are 3 points for the Red Devils, and the Spurs are defeated on home turf.

 Manchester United: Tullis-Joyce (GK), George , Le Tissier (C), Toone, Galton, Riviere, Bizet, Janssen, Terland, Miyazawa, Turner

Subs: Middleton-Patel (GK), Mannion, Sandberg, Awujo, Clinton, Malard, Williams

Subs used: Sandberg 64’, Malard 64’, Awujo 64’, Mannion 88’

Goal scorers: Terland 6’

Spurs: Kop (GK), Neville, Bartrip, Hunt, Nildén, Rybrink (Debut), Oroz, Thomas, Raso, Naz, England

Subs: Spencer (GK), Bühler, Grant, Ahtinen, Csiki, Holdt, Vinberg, Ayane, Gunning-Williams

Subs used: Holdt 77’, Csiki 84’, Vinberg 84’