It was nothing but disappointment as the final whistle blew on full time at Wembley Stadium, as Tottenham Hotspur fell to a deafening 4-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester United in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup Final.

Speaking to the media after the fixture, Tottenham Hotspur manager Robert Vilahamn reflected on the disappointing afternoon for his side.

“It’s not fun to lose a final with big numbers- but on the other hand I think Man United played a really good game. They picked a good eleven, they hurt us with really good quality. So sometimes you need to look at it like they had a really good day.

The first goal is a little bit tough for us, just before the half break. I think the first half was really competitive, and we tried to find ways in the second half but they scored two goals quite quickly in that half and then we just are all over the place. It’s really hard to play 3-0 down at Wembley when they are shining of course.”

Despite the result at Wembley Stadium, Tottenham have plenty to celebrate when it comes to their 2023/24 campaign. Having gone from being a side threatened by relegation in the season of last, the achievement of running the road all the way to Wembley is one to be proud of for Vilahamn’s side.

“We have to look at the whole FA Cup, and we are actually playing at Wembley today. We are here to get an experience, we are learning a lot from this game. Even if it’s really tough now, I know that we are going to be very proud when we finish this season and see what we have done.”

Manchester United returned to Wembley for the second consecutive season on today’s occasion, after making their debut appearance in an FA Cup Final against Chelsea last year. Reflecting on whether he believed experience played a part in today’s result at Wembley, Vilahamn affirmed that the occasion may have played a factor in the performance of his Spurs side.

“I think most of the players in Man United were here last year and they were experienced in that. I think our players were still performing and trying their best- we are going to learn from this and I think all the players will learn quite much about how their bodies are working in these kind of games.

That’s what we want, we want to have these big kind of games and be able to perform. And also for me, I’ve never been here like a coach before, so it’s a great experience. Very tough to lose, but I’m always looking at it as a learning process and I think this is one step already now that we are at Wembley and learning this year, which is good for the future.”

The club continue to grow since the arrival of Robert Vilahamn both on and off the field. Much is also to be said about the work of the backroom staff as Tottenham Hotspur search to grow in to one of England’s biggest women’s clubs.

“We got this experience this year to play at the Stadium this year [THS], to play in a final. So it’s not only the players, it’s not only the coaches- it’s the media team, it’s the whole club basically. It’s a really good journey because if we want do this and we want a top team in women’s football and men’s football, then we want to perform at this stage.

So I think this is going to help us to the next stage. I’m sad for the fans that we couldn’t do it today, but I know that we will come back. It’s not the end today, it’s actually just the beginning.”

A blunder at the back saw Becky Spencer serve Lucía García a direct goal inside of the area- something that is very surprising when reflecting the stellar recent form that the goalkeeper has found herself in. Vilahamn offered words in regards to Spencer, taking ownership of the blame for her mistake.

“I just said it’s unlikely. I’m taking that goal on me actually because that’s how I wanted to play. The goalkeeper will do mistakes every year when you play this style, just unfortunately she did it in the final.

On the other hand she showed us that she wants to be brave. I’m going to make sure that I help her and support her on Tuesday- she’s a very mature women, she’s a very cool girl, so I am sure that she will solve this. But of course I need to make sure that I tell her that as well because I think she’s a great goalkeeper.

As Tottenham Hotspur reflect on a season of exponential growth throughout the 2023/24 campaign, Vilahamn offered a word on where he sees his Tottenham team to be heading as they continue to grow.

“We still have a gap between us and the top teams, that’s normal. But we are closing that gap and in a good day we can actually beat these teams. We are closing the gap, but we haven’t closed the gap yet. We need to take more steps, we need to develop even more to make sure that we are getting these experiences.”

Tottenham Hotspur will be back in Barclays Women’s Super League action on Wednesday evening as they face off with title contenders in Chelsea at Brisbane Road Stadium.