Martha Thomas on target as Spurs stun Arsenal in WSL north London derby

Football is defined by a series of moments. An inch here and there, a tackle that is a second too late, a ball that flies agonisingly wide of its target. As the 58th minute struck at a tense Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Tottenham took their moment superbly, a goal from Martha Thomas sending the home crowd wild. It earned a 1-0 victory, their first in a north London derby, that put a dent in Arsenal’s title aspirations.

The buzz was palpable as more than 20,000 spectators filed in for Spurs’ first game in their main stadium this season. Robert Vilahamn has breathed new life into a team that flirted with relegation at times in 2022-23. Despite coming into this match off the back of two league defeats, confidence has remained.

In an unusual scheduling coincidence, this was the second time these two had faced each other in the space of 96 hours. They had played out a 3-3 draw in the league cup at Meadow Park, a display of courage and intent from Tottenham against a much-changed Arsenal XI. Content with what he saw, Vilahamn made just the one alteration from that setup with Bethany England replacing Jessica Naz up front. It was a 150th WSL appearance for the Tottenham captain who is slowly being reintroduced after having hip surgery on her return from the World Cup.

Jonas Eidevall, meanwhile, rang the changes, once more reverting to his more tried and tested setup. The one change from their emphatic win over Chelsea a week ago saw Frida Maanum replace the injured Kim Little, with Katie McCabe taking on the captaincy.

Arsenal possessed the dominant head-to-head record between the two with six wins and a draw from seven WSL encounters, and would have been optimistic as they look to mount a significant title challenge.

The 11 goals conceded in their previous two WSL games illustrates Tottenham’s defensive issues against the league’s top teams this year. It is a learning process for a side who are adapting to Vilahamn’s uncompromising attacking setup, the Spurs manager’s belief in short-term pain for long-term gain evident.

The first half exemplified this progress as the hosts limited Arsenal’s opportunities. Kit Graham, normally seen higher up the pitch, looked comfortable in a deeper midfield role with a display of defensive astuteness. They were frustrating the visitors who were restricted to relatively few clear-cut opportunities. While Arsenal controlled possession, there were constant glimmers of what Tottenham could do on the counterattack with the relationship between Thomas and England building.

Eidevall’s side moved through the gears as half-time drew near, piling the pressure on Tottenham’s box. Barbora Votikova produced a finger-tip save to turn a Maanum effort wide before keeping Victoria Pelova’s curling effort out.

They remained camped in the Tottenham half at the start of the second half, but once again were frustrated by Tottenham’s desire to put their bodies on the line. The threat on the break remained and in the 58th minute Vilahamn’s side send shockwaves through their opponents as they sliced through their high press.

It was a goal that should end up as one of the team goals of this season, an all-encompassing move that ended with Thomas knee-sliding in front of her delighted fans. It took six passes from back to front before the Scottish striker poked past Manuela Zinsberger for her seventh of the season.

Eidevall threw on all his attacking talent in desperation. Vivianne Miedema made her 100th WSL appearance but Tottenham did not falter despite 11 minutes of injury time. As the final whistle blew, the party began in north London as Spurs lapped up the applause of the crowd. Arsenal, meanwhile, know that they have handed Chelsea a chance to capitalise when they face Bristol City on Sunday before the winter break.