Caitlin Foord scored a brace to help Arsenal Women produce one of the high-scoring football scores of the weekend in the Women’s Super League. After going three league games without a win between January and February, Arsenal has gloriously returned to form, defeating Liverpool, Reading, and now Spurs. Arsenal’s revival has forced a re-entry into the WSL title fight, with a treble still a possibility for the Continental Cup-winning Gunners ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League last-eight second-leg meeting at the Emirates.
Blackstenius scored emphatically in the first five minutes, rifling an effort beyond Tinja-Riikka Korpela from a tight angle before Foord finished a surging run by tucking the ball neatly inside the post (29) – the Aussie forward has been directly involved in more league goals (10) than any Arsenal teammate this season, scoring or assisting in her last three appearances. Beth England scored a consolation penalty for the hosts (39), which was won by Ash Neville after her shot struck the arm of Katie McCabe, but Arsenal’s inventiveness and purpose exceeded Spurs’ in the second period, as they stay winless in this game.
Little scored from the penalty spot (66), before Spurs’ resistance crumbled further as Foord scored her second of the game and Maanum capped up a relentless offensive effort with 13 minutes remaining. Tottenham knew the job of breaking down an Arsenal side with the top defensive record in the league would be difficult after scoring just five goals in their previous seven home games.
Eidevall’s team played smarter, with greater energy and intensity, as well as being clinical, which had been lacking in the previous match against Bayern Munich. Blackstenius set the tone, slotting away his sixth league goal of the season before another solo effort from Foord had Arsenal cruising. They encountered a stumbling block when England halved the score with a well-taken penalty kick, but the second stanza was smooth sailing, emphasizing Arsenal’s ambition to remain in the WSL title race. During the break, Little calmed any residual anxieties with a typically controlled penalty kick, blasting the ball into the roof of the net after McCabe was upended, forcing the floodgates to open.
Victoria Pelova’s tenacity then provided Foord a deserved second, as she turned home at the back post before Maanum’s lobbed shot took a deflection off Molly Bartrip to loop over Korpela. Spurs will be watching over their shoulder for the rest of the season, but they don’t face another top-four team until May and should have enough to escape any hint of irreversible relegation.
“Spurs appear to be the team against whom I can score a couple of goals. I’ll try anything to win, and getting on the scoreboard is always a plus,” Arsenal forward Cailin Foord said. “I’m always thrilled to see those ones go in because it’s something I work on a lot on the training pitch and seeing it pay off makes me happy. We know we have a long road ahead of us. We know we need to win games if we want to compete for the league title and the Champions League. I believe we’re just playing pretty good right now, and we want to keep it up.”
“Every game presents unique obstacles, but I believe Stina [Blackstenius] provided us with everything we needed right from the start with her runs in behind. It’s great to watch her finishing with her first touch,” Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall said. “It all starts with how we attack. We were in a good spot. We were continually overburdening them. We were always facing forward with the ball, and we were quick to get into the box. We never stopped doing it.”
“I’m dissatisfied. We’re all disappointed in the same way. We should never give up as many goals in a north London derby. Sorry for offending the supporters, but it is not acceptable,” Tottenham head coach Vicky Jepson said. “We always knew this wasn’t going to define us because we were underdogs, but I can’t excuse the manner we conceded goals today. We were still in the game at 2-1, but the third goal was the final nail in the coffin that depressed us. We worked till the last whistle, but it wasn’t enough.”
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