Arsenal moved to three points behind Women's Super League leaders Manchester City as they beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in the North London Derby.
A goal from Alessia Russo in the 49th minute secured victory, with 60,050 people in attendance. It was the second match in a row where Arsenal have sold out the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal dominated possession throughout, as is often the case in the WSL. They consistently found space in the final third in the first half, yet Spurs' resilience turned up.
Coupled with Spurs' effectiveness on the counter-attack through Jessica Naz, the North London Derby went into half-time at 0-0.
Yet, just four minutes into the second half, Arsenal took the lead. They switched the ball from the left to right flank, allowing Beth Mead to latch onto it and find Russo in the six-yard box. The 25-year-old made no mistake with a powerful shot past Becky Spencer.
Vilahamn's philosophy of the 'Tottenham Way' has seen expansive football when playing out from the back. It worked in the return fixture in December, but - this time - Arsenal limited Spurs to very few chances.
As soon as the Gunners took the lead in the 49th minute, there was a sense of inevitability that they would claim victory and continue their title push.
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Story of the match
Arsenal knew a North London Derby win was necessary in their attempts to cling onto the WSL title race. They made two changes to the team that beat Manchester United two weeks ago. Manuela Zinsberger and Alessia Russo replaced Sabrina D'Angelo and Stina Blackstenius.
Vilahamn made three changes to the team that lost 2-1 to Aston Villa last time out. Spencer, Ashleigh Neville and Naz replaced Barbora Votikova, Charlotte Grant and captain Bethany England respectively.
Arsenal started strongly at the Emirates Stadium. In the opening four minutes, Beth Mead had a powerful effort blocked whilst Russo squandered a free tap-in six yards out. It foreshadowed the afternoon ahead in N5.
The hosts dominated possession, allowing Spurs to sit back and attempt to break on the counter-attack. Grace Clinton nearly played Martha Thomas through on-goal with a precise through-ball, but it was crucially intercepted by Lotte Wubben-Moy.
Tottenham were forced to defend six corners in the opening 12 minutes. Every time, Spurs unconvincingly cleared the ball as it landed in the danger area.
Despite the lack of possession, Tottenham looked dangerous in the final third. Thomas had the best chance of the match 18 minutes in, as she combined with Celin Bizet to fire a shot directly at Zinsberger. It epitomised Vilahamn's philosophy of playing out from the back to start counter-attacks — and it very nearly paid off on that occasion.
Naz symbolised Spurs' effectiveness on the counter-attack throughout. The conventional winger, being opted as a number nine against Arsenal, skimmed the crossbar after latching onto a through-ball in behind. Only a fingertip save from Zinsberger stopped it from going in.
As the half-time whistle blew, the match felt strikingly familiar to the previous fixture in December. Arsenal dominated possession, yet lacked a clinical edge in the final third. Meanwhile, Spurs were resorting to a hopeful counter-attack.
However, just four minutes into the second half, Arsenal finally broke the deadlock. The hosts switched the ball from the left to the right flank quickly with Mead picking up the ball. The 28-year-old skipped past Amanda Nilden and played it across to Russo in the six-yard box. Russo made no mistake in front of an open goal, firing it past Spencer.
Replays showed Mead was potentially millimetres offside in the build-up, but the goal still stood with no VAR used in the WSL.
Drew Spence came on for Tottenham midway through the second half. It marked her return from injury and her first appearance since November 5th 2023. Brought on to provide Spurs with another creative outlet, she acted as an option between defence and attack through Arsenal's intense press.
However, despite having greater control over the match, Tottenham hardly threatened after going 1-0 down. Matilda Vinberg provided Spurs with a new spark on the left flank off the bench, yet it failed to materialise into anything meaningful. It epitomised an uneventful second half which, as the full-time whistle blew, meant Arsenal were still fully in the title race.
Up next, Arsenal play Aston Villa in the Continental Cup semi-finals this Wednesday whilst Tottenham host Manchester City once again in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
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Player of the match - Lia Walti
Arsenal definitely weren't at their best against Tottenham. They lacked the clinical edge in the final third, with even their only goal potentially offside. However, what they did have was control.
Lia Wälti played a huge part in that, helping Arsenal dictate the tempo of the match with over 55% possession. She consistently helped the Gunners get into the final third, showcased by her 14 passes into the area. Her work alongside Kim Little proved pivotal at the Emirates Stadium.