Arsenal ran riot at Emirates Stadium to complete a resounding five-goal rout over Tottenham Hotspur. An own goal from Clare Hunt gave Arsenal the perfect start after 15 minutes, as she was later joined on the scoreboard by Mariona Caldentey, Frida Maanum and Alessia Russo. But the best goal was saved for when the clock struck 90, as Emily Fox unleashed a howitzer from the edge of the area past the despairing reach of Lize Kop and into the top corner, putting the finishes touches on yet another comprehensive North London Derby victory for the Gunners.
When Arsenal last hosted Spurs at Emirates Stadium, it was a tight, nervous, cagey affair. Their ego had been badly bruised following the 1-0 defeat in the reverse fixture before Christmas, their first ever loss in the North London Derby. A sole Russo goal proved to be the difference on the day, but Spurs proved to be a tough nut to crack. Stubborn, cohesive, and with a genuine threat on the counter as well, they suggested that the days of Spurs getting comprehensively trounced in this fixture were a thing of a past.
Not so.
The Lineups
ARS: Van Domselaar, Fox, Williamson, Catley, McCabe, Cooney-Cross, Wälti, Foord, Maanum, Mariona, Russo
TOT: Kop, Neville, Hunt, Bartrip, Nildén, Vinberg, Oroz, Csiki, Raso, Naz, England
The Action
When Arsenal travelled to Spurs earlier in the season, the Lilywhites were only able to stay in the game for two minutes. Here, they at least made it to 15, before their defensive liabilities gifted the Gunners the lead. Hayley Raso slipped trying to control a switch of play to the flanks, allowing compatriot Kyra Cooney-Cross to pick up the loose ball and send a wicked delivery into the penalty area. Under pressure from Russo, Hunt unwittingly deflected the ball past the flat-footed Kop for an own goal.
Just seconds after the restart, Spurs contrived to pursue the policy of self-sabotage, as Molly Bartrip inexplicably played a blind pass directly to Caitlin Foord in her own penalty area. Only the alertness of Kop prevented a second goal in as many minutes, who soon became the sole defender against the Arsenal siege.
The chances kept on coming. Russo showed good strength to hold off her marker and spin, but from a tight angle, she was once again foiled by Kop. Foord fired a first-time volley straight at the keeper, before Russo saw her near post effort again foiled by the Dutch international. Kop was doing her best to keep Spurs in the game, but she couldn’t hold back the tide forever.
Arsenal’s attack tears Tottenham’s limp resistance to shreds
With 10 minutes until the bell, the inevitable happened. Hunt was able to block Mariona’s first strike from the edge of the box, but the Spaniard showed great ingenuity to curl the rebound around Bartrip and into the bottom corner. It nearly became three right on the bell, as Foord broke clear on the counter following a rare Spurs foray beyond the halfway line, only to mis-control in the penalty area.
This was a far cry from last season’s catatonic slumber, rather, a throwback to the previously established norm. Arsenal had their boot firmly on the Tottenham throat, and with 56,784 fans baying for blood, they indulged their home support with ruthless glee. Six minutes after the break, they took the game away from Spurs.
Hunt was having a nightmare game, having followed up her own goal by going into the referee’s book after a cynical foul on the ever-dangerous Russo. Her misery was complete when Maanum’s effort from the edge of the box took a wicked deflection of Hunt’s back and past the helpless Kop.
The knife twisted further. A splendid flick from Maanum gave Foord a free run against Spurs’ frantically retreating back two. With Russo and Mariona offering supporting runs, Foord chose Russo, and she placed the ball past Kop to score the goal her play all match had warranted, and seal a splendid counterattack, as well as all three points.
Chloe Kelly makes her long awaited return
With the contest finished with 30 minutes left to play, Renée Slegers turned to her bench and, to a roar of excitement from the home contingent, Chloe Kelly entered the fray for her second Arsenal debut following her deadline day loan from Manchester City. Every touch was cheered as fans enjoyed seeing the hero of Euro 2022 back playing in the Red and White.
The pace of the game dropped with an acceptance of the outcome clear from all parties, but there was still time for one final flourish. With the curtain ready to fall, Emily Fox unleashed a net-seeking rocket into the top corner, leaving Kop grasping thin air and forcing her to retrieve the ball from her net for the fifth time that day.
Inconceivably, it could have been six, as Kelly struck the bar from the acutest of angles with the last kick of the match. It mattered not. This was Arsenal’s day, as they once again asserted their dominance over North London. It was an all too familiar feeling for Spurs, having never been in the fight from the off, being forced to cling on for dear life and hope they departed with any crumbs of positive consolation.
There were none to be had here. If last season suggested the gap was closing, this was reality check. An 8-0 aggregate defeat, another league double against them, and little evidence to suggest a different coloured paintbrush will be required to determine North London’s complexion any time soon.
The Halfway Line Player of the Match- Alessia Russo
Having spent most of the new year out on the wing, it was a return to more familiar waters for Russo, and she looked right at home leading the line, against a Spurs defence who were run ragged with her pressing and driving runs. Her goal on the counter-attack for 4-0 was just reward for the endeavour she had exerted throughout.
