Arsenal missed the opportunity to take the lead in the Women’s Super League, suffering a loss to local rivals Tottenham.
Martha Thomas secured the sole goal in the second half, propelling Spurs to their first-ever Women’s Super League victory over the Gunners.
Despite numerous missed opportunities at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Arsenal finds themselves in second place, trailing champions Chelsea on goal difference.
Spurs, with this win, maintain their sixth position after a series of five winless league games.
In a match where Arsenal aimed to claim the top spot, having missed several chances, Caitlin Foord came closest in the first half by striking the post.
The dominance continued in the second half, with Alessia Russo’s header going off target from a mere six yards, and Frida Maanum’s attempt narrowly sailing over the bar from a wide left position.
Despite Arsenal’s persistent pressure, Spurs held their ground and took a surprising lead in the 58th minute.
A well-executed passing sequence from the back concluded with Thomas sliding in to score from Celin Bizet’s low cross.
Arsenal fail to build on Chelsea performance
Following their impressive 4-1 victory over Chelsea at Emirates Stadium last week, Arsenal seemed poised to showcase their prowess in this game—a chance to triumph over rivals at one of English football’s most iconic venues and potentially secure the top spot in the WSL by Christmas.
However, things didn’t unfold as expected. Arsenal struggled to register a shot on target until the 42nd minute, with Maanum testing Barbora Votikova’s gloves in a lackluster first-half performance.
Their play lacked pace and struggled to exploit wide spaces, though Foord, when found in space, created their best first-half opportunities.
Facing a sluggish start, manager Jonas Eidevall’s strong halftime words spurred Arsenal to a higher tempo in the second half, yet they couldn’t capitalize on their chances.
Eidevall eventually called upon Vivianne Miedema, still regaining full fitness after an anterior cruciate knee ligament injury, marking her 100th WSL appearance. It also marked the first time Miedema, Russo, and Mead shared the pitch for the Gunners.
While the presence of such a formidable attacking trio offers hope for keeping pace with Chelsea in the new year, this performance fell short of the perfection Arsenal needs to secure their first WSL title since 2018-19.
Spurs adapt to earn sensational win
Spurs manager Robert Vilahamn responded to the challenge of facing a top-four WSL side by adjusting his team’s approach, particularly after the difficult experience of conceding 11 goals in their previous two matches against Manchester City and United.
Additionally, Vilahamn likely had in mind Spurs’ unfavorable WSL record against Arsenal—having not secured a victory in seven prior league encounters, losing six matches and never managing to keep a clean sheet.
Spurs adopted a more compact and deeper-lying 4-4-2 formation, which proved effective in weathering the stormy opening to the second half, during which Arsenal unleashed eight shots in 13 minutes. They seized their opportunity with Martha Thomas scoring, marking her first goal in six league matches after a strong start with six goals in her opening four WSL games.
In the final seconds, Spurs had a chance to score a second goal as they broke forward following an Arsenal corner, with keeper Manuela Zinsberger caught out after moving up. However, a spectacular last-gasp tackle prevented Rosella Ayane from securing a tap-in.