Manchester City overpowered Tottenham at The Hive, scoring four first-half goals to keep the pressure on Arsenal at the summit of the Women’s Super League.
Despite Rianna Dean netting from the spot for Spurs, goals from Pauline Bremer (2), Ellen White and Lauren Hemp all but sealed the three points for City before the interval.
Story of the match
City’s slick passing set the tone from the outset, moving Spurs’ defensive block out of formation with ease.
Less than two minutes had been played when the away side opened the scoring. Bremer was found by a low cross in the box - the German swivelled on the ball and fired into the bottom left-hand corner from 12 yards out.
Before Spurs could settle they found themselves two goals behind. This time White scored - in much the same vein as Bremer - but more emphatically found the top corner.
Bravely, and perhaps against better judgement, Tottenham continued to play out from the back as City’s cohesive press continuously blitzed the home side’s back four.
Then against the run of play Tottenham clawed their way back into the game.
Dean dispossessed Steph Houghton on the halfway line and wriggled her way into the box, beating the other central defender on her way to goal. Houghton, seeking to atone for her uncharacteristic error, bundled Dean over just inside the 18 yard box, and the referee pointed to the spot.
Dean dispatched the penalty into the bottom corner to give the home fans what proved to be a fleeting feeling of hope on the 20 minute mark.
The Sky Blues quickly restored their two-goal lead as Bremer swept in her second goal by latching on to a cut-back from Hemp who found herself in acres of space in the left channel.
Spurs’ head coaches, Karen Hills and Juan Amoros, pleaded with their players to get tighter and track runners, but City’s fluid movement was too much to handle.
The Tottenham players were visibly gasping for air and heavy-footed as the first-half drew to a close.
This was evident in the lead up to City’s fourth goal. The Spurs defence parted like the red sea, too tired to do anything but fall out of the way, as City’s attack strolled through. Hemp accepted Spurs’ invitation to score and squeezed the ball past Rebecca Spencer on the stroke of half-time.
Football is a game of two halves but on this occasion there was no need for a second act.
Spurs did well to keep City’s goal tally at four during the second-half as the away side continued to create chances, albeit at a more leisurely pace.
Karen Hills said before the game that playing against City would be difficult for any team and she was proved right. Spurs will not - nor should they - feel disheartened by losing to such an established and well resourced outfit.
As for City, they would have expected nothing less than three points. To have every cog working so smoothly is an added bonus with the business end of the season drawing close. Spurs may well have lost to the 2019/20 WSL champions.
Player of the match - Keira Walsh
Walsh set the tempo for Man City throughout the game with her excellent range of passing.
The holding midfielder made herself available to receive the ball at every opportunity and seemed to make the right decision whenever she was in possession.
At the heart of many of City’s attacks, Walsh constantly threaded the ball through Spurs’ midfield and looped it over the defence to a salivating City frontline.