Post-Match Report

Report: Arsenal Women 5-0 Tottenham Hotspur

Foord and Russo celebrate against Spurs

We remained unbeaten at home in the north London derby with a 5-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in front of 56,784 supporters at Emirates Stadium on Sunday. 

Alessia Russo forced a Clare Hunt own goal and Mariona Caldentey doubled our lead in the first half, before Frida Maanum netted our third and Russo picked out the bottom left corner for four after half-time.

Emily Fox rocketed one into the top left corner from long range late on to end the game in style.

What happened

Maite Oroz volleyed over the bar from an early Spurs free-kick, before a dead-ball delivery from Kyra Cooney-Cross at the other end resulted in Katie McCabe toe-poking her effort over from the edge of the area.

We hit the target though just one minute later when Cooney-Cross' first class delivery was flicked towards goal by Russo, hitting Hunt on the way in for 1-0.

Spurs giving the ball away in dangerous areas was a theme of the first half, in doing so allowing Caitlin Foord to shoot straight at Lize Kop from close range moments later.

There was a great turn from Russo in the penalty area midway through the first half and she got a shot away from a narrow angle, but Kop was equal to it.

McCabe’s cross from the left then found Foord and she scooped it on target but again it went neither side of Kop.

The Spurs goalkeeper was kept busy, parrying behind for a corner after Steph Catley’s cross was met by Russo, but there was nothing Kop could do to stop our next effort.

Caldentey cushioned it into the bottom right corner from just inside the 18-yard box for 2-0, and that was followed by a flurry of late first-half opportunities to score our third.

McCabe’s cross was headed over by Maanum on the brink of half-time, then Russo headed wide from Maanum’s delivery, before Caldentey cut back and shot on her right foot with Kop diving to her left to make the save.

We kept up our attacking intent early in the second half as Russo was denied by Kop after Ashleigh Neville gave the ball away to McCabe.

It was 3-0 in the 51st minute, Foord finding Maanum to her left, whose shot was deflected off of Hunt again and into the back of the net.

Three became four as Foord was afford so much time and space on the counter-attack. This time she went right to Russo, who tucked it in off the post.

It sounded like another goal went in when Chloe Kelly came on for her second Arsenal debut with half an hour to go, 2,815 days since her last game for us in 2017.

She replaced Foord as Maanum made way for Stina Blackstenius.

Kelly was involved straight away with a ball over the top to Russo, who cut inside and had a shot deflected over the bar.

Laia Codina and Kim Little came on for Catley and Cooney-Cross with 14 minutes to go, and Jenna Nighswonger was introduced to Emirates Stadium for the first time in the 86th minute for Caldentey.

Martha Thomas' cross was headed over by Olivia Holdt in a rare foray forward for Spurs in the game's dying embers, but arguably the best was yet to come as Fox, in the 90th minute, unleashed a rocket into the top left corner for our fifth of a fantastic afternoon.

Kelly lobbed Kop with a shot onto the crossbar before the full-time whistle was blown to bring about jubilant celebrations in N5.

What it means

We remain third in the Barclays Women's Super League, three points behind Manchester United after their win over Crystal Palace.

What's next

We host West Ham United at Mangata Pay UK Stadium in Borehamwood on Sunday, March 2 (5.30pm kick-off) following the February international break.

Line-ups

Arsenal XI: van Domselaar, Fox, Williamson (C), Catley (Codina 76), Mariona (Nighswonger 86), McCabe, Maanum (Blackstenius 60), Walti, Foord (Kelly 61), Russo, Cooney-Cross (Little 76)

Substitutes (not used): Zinsberger, Ilestedt, Reid, Mead

Tottenham Hotspur XI: Kop, Neville (Morris 73), Hunt, Bartrip, Nilden, Vinberg (Holdt 82), Oroz, Naz (Grant 82), Csiki (Spence 59), Raso (Thomas 60), England

Substitutes (not used): Spencer, Rybrink, Ahtinen, Buhler