Stalemate with United in WSL
A dominant display went unrewarded as we battled out a goalless draw with Manchester United in the Barclays Women’s Super League at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
We enjoyed several spells in the ascendancy over the course of the game but just couldn’t find that final, decisive final ball, Olivia Holdt, Ella Morris, Matilda Vinberg, Drew Spence, Julie Blakstad and substitute Lenna Gunning-Williams all going close, while Lize Kop was superb at the other end, making smart saves when required and bravely coming for a number of deliveries into our box.
Ultimately, the 0-0 draw yielded our first clean sheet since January and ended a run of four straight defeats in all competitions for Martin Ho’s side.
Morris was a lively influence pushing forward from right-back on her first start since returning from a lengthy injury lay-off while Maika Hamano only added to our attacking prowess down that side as we took the game to United from the off with some swift and precise forward thrusts in the attacking areas, Blakstad floating an effort over and Signe Gaupset seeing her angled drive blocked in the box, then having another shot deflected beyond the far post.
We seemed to lose that early momentum mid-way through the first half and United threatened in patches, but we regained steam with Cathinka Tandberg causing the visitors problems with a couple of headers in the box and Hamano’s angled drive forcing Millie Turner to intervene and put the ball behind for a corner.
We kept Phallon Tullis-Joyce busy in the second half, the United keeper forced to turn Holdt’s long-range shot away for a corner, although half-time substitute Melvine Malard proved a real presence up top for the visitors, stinging the palms of Kop and then steering a back-post header just wide as we approached the hour mark.
Hamano and Holdt both saw impressive shots blocked while we turned the screw even further mid-way through the second half, Morris driving agonisingly wide through a congested area in the wake of Vinberg’s wide free-kick, with the latter twice testing Tullis-Joyce before captain Spence couldn’t quite capitalise at the back post in the wake of the resulting corner. Blakstad then fizzed a superb shot just over, although Kop had to be alert at the other end to thwart Ella Toone and Jess Park.
After having a penalty appeal waved away, Gunning-Williams had a chance to win it in stoppage time when she turned into space in the left channel inside the box, but her early shot was comfortable for Tullis-Joyce. There was controversy right at the end as the latter came up for a corner that Kop claimed, but our number one couldn’t launch the ball up-field towards United’s empty goal because of a foul – and that was that.
Line-ups
Spurs (4-3-3): Kop, Morris, Koga, A Nilden, Blakstad, Spence (c), Gaupset, Holdt (Summanen 90+3), Hamano, Tandberg (Gunning-Williams 81), Vinberg. Substitutes (not used): Heeps, Grant, Bartrip, Rybrink, M Nilden, Ahtinen, Dennis.
Manchester United (4-4-2): Tullis-Joyce, Riviere, Le Tissier (c), Turner (George 89), Lundkvist (Sandberg 63), Park, Naalsund, Miyazawa, Rolfo (Wangerheim 75), Schuller (Toone 63), Awujo (Malard 46). Substitutes (not used): Rendell, Middleton-Patel, Anderson.
Match data
Yellow cards: Spurs – Hamano 76; Manchester United – Sandberg 65, Malard 90+8.
Referee: Melissa Burgin.
Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Weather: Sunny, light winds, 17 degrees.
Attendance: 7,310.