It was a magical afternoon in East London for Tottenham, as the Spurs took an unforgiving Manchester City outfit all the way to penalties to secure themselves a semi-final spot in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup for the first time in the club’s history.

Speaking to Robert Vilahamn in his post-match press conference, the Spurs boss ran through what he made of the empathic performance at Brisbane Road Stadium.

“If you look at the steps we have taken, we were good at the start of the season, then some terrible results against Man City and Man United, then two more losses against Man City again. You kind of felt like we’re getting closer, but it’s not really close.

Today we actually competed with them, I think we deserved it. After fifteen and twenty minutes when they had the first part of it, we were better and we were creating not really good chances, but possession in their half, almost chances. Then when we scored in the last second there was really nice energy in extra time, and in the penalty shoot out.“

The Spurs took the Cityzens all the way down to the wire, in what was a popcorn-flowing penalty shootout to decide who would write their name in to the competition’s final four. Goalkeeping heroics from Becky Spencer saw her deny both Alex Greenwood and Chloe Kelly from the spot, something Vilahamn reflected on with pride.

He said,“When she performs like this, it’s up to her to keep the spot. For her, she’s worked really hard when she was put on the bench, and showed me that she wants the spot back. So, it’s really nice to see.”

As well as a stellar performance between the posts, Tottenham’s last line showcased a brilliant display in nullifying what could be said to be the most threatening front line across the domestic league. Pre-match drama saw Molly Bartrip withdraw from the starting eleven due to illness, as Luana Bühler took her place in Vilahamn’s opening side. The Swedish boss reflected on the performance, packing on the praise for the Swiss defender.

“I must raise Luana [Bühler], because I told her before the start of the game that she might start today because Molly [Bartrip] is feeling a little bit bad. She just stepped in and took all the duals, she was good on the ball, so I am very impressed by that.”

Individual praise carried across to the Spurs captain, Bethany England, as her injury time equaliser allowed the home side the chance to take it to the Cityzens until the very last breath. Vilahamn spoke in regards to England, expressing “I’m very happy for her because she deserved that, she’s worked really hard.”

He continued, “Also now when she’s perhaps not starting the games, coming in with a good energy and she had a few good chances. She deserves to get that goal and she’s very important to us with her leadership, and how she acts.”

Closing out the magical afternoon in Leyton, Vilahamn spoke on the journey Tottenham Hotspur are undergoing. After having beaten one of the most dangerous teams in England this evening, it is safe to say the journey at Hotspur Way is well in progress.

“I think we are in a journey, we are going to make sure we take steps. I think if you don’t get this kind of momentum sometimes people might forget that. And for the fans, because now they feel that we play for them, and we do it together. They were with us the whole game, so it was amazing.”

So Robert, do you dare to dream?

“I have dreamt of Wembley the whole season! I’m going to keep dreaming of that, but I’m also going to make sure we have a good plan to reach it. Yes, we’re dreaming and we want to go to Wembley.”