Arsenal come from behind to beat Tottenham 2-1 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in WSL
Arsenal came from behind to beat Tottenham 2-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday in the Women's Super League, ending a run of poor results and prompting an emotional celebration toward the away end. The victory was their first WSL win in six matches and provided visible relief for players and supporters alike.
Arsenal had started the day in the bottom half of the table, four points behind fourth-placed Tottenham and 12 points adrift of leaders Manchester City, having only beaten Brighton in their WSL campaign to date. With their title ambitions described as ruined in the report and weekly questions mounting over manager Renee Slegers's future, confidence was low and the team entered the north London derby under pressure. The first half reflected that nervousness, with misplaced passes, poor clearances and sloppy errors leaving Arsenal disjointed.
Tottenham took the lead through a header from Cathinka Tandberg, but that advantage lasted only four minutes before Georgia Stanway restored parity with a powerful strike. Arsenal improved after the interval, applying more pressure and carving out the opportunities they had lacked earlier in the season. Former Arsenal defender Gilly Flaherty told BBC One the visitors were "causing their own problems" in an unconvincing first half and needed time to settle.
The winning moment came after a sequence in the second half when Lisa Baum's shot struck the post and Tandberg's clearance hit the outstretched hand of Spurs team-mate Ella Morris, prompting referee Phoebe Cross to award a penalty. Alessia Russo, having failed to convert an earlier big chance, calmly converted from the spot past goalkeeper Lize Kop to make it 2-1. Russo celebrated loudly and sprinted toward the away supporters, with England team-mate Leah Williamson mirroring that emotion at full-time.
Asked what she told the players at half-time, Slegers said: "I just gave constructive and tactical things that could help us to get the win, and remind us about the fight and intensity on the pitch. "It was a real derby. The team were in a good place and were finding solutions themselves. It was just constructive messaging." The match was described in the report as scrappy late on, with Arsenal at times relying on luck and a controversial refereeing decision to secure the result.
Slegers framed the victory around the supporters after the game, saying: "I'm so happy we got it for them. We said we would play for the fans. We played for them and connected with them. "We sold out the away section, they came in the rain and sang and fought with us throughout the game. "At the end, it was scrappy and it was game management and they were all there with us. "You could see how the team responded and how they were with the fans. It was pure joy and happiness. We want to capitalise on these emotions." She added that the usual post-match huddle was replaced by a direct celebration with the crowd: "We normally do a huddle on the pitch but we decided to just go to the fans instead. "Actions speak louder than words. There was not much more talking to do so we just wanted to celebrate with them. "We had a run of games where results haven't been good enough. It was frustrating for everyone. This will definitely energise us."
Slegers also pointed to a congested period of fixtures and the chance to build momentum, noting Arsenal's next match is in the Women's Champions League on Wednesday against Benfica and that they have four home games in November plus a trip to Barcelona. The report stated their WSL title hopes "may be gone" but that a top-three finish is imperative to secure European football next season. "We need to back this up in the next couple of games. There were some really good things for us on the pitch," said Slegers. "We want to be more consistent but this was a really good step. It's positive energy we want to capitalise on, but it's only a step."
