Matilda Vinberg: “I’m very happy, it has been a while”

Matilda Vinberg certainly made her mark on her return to the starting XI as her impressive strike helped us to a 2-1 win over West Ham United on Sunday.

Back on the right-hand side from the first minute at Chigwell Construction Stadium, the young forward put in a strong performance in the London derby and, nine minutes into the second period, she duly got the reward she deserved.

Trailing 1-0 after Shekiera Martinez’s early goal, Tilly cut inside on to her left on the edge of the box and picked out the top right corner with a stunning left-footed strike, leaving the Hammers’ shot stopper Megan Walsh no chance.

That switched the momentum into our favour and, on 73 minutes, Olivia Holdt grabbed the winner with another excellent finish from distance, seeing us return to winning ways in the WSL.

Netting her first goal in the WSL since March, 2024 – her third goal in total in Lilywhite – our number 13 spoke of the ‘nice feeling’ to get on the scoresheet.

“It’s a great goal,” she smiled, speaking to SPURSPLAY after the game. “I’m very happy to score as it’s been a while, and to score in that kind of way was also really nice.

“When I play on the right side, I think it’s really important that I can go inside and take those shots and take those chances. It was such a nice feeling - such a relief - to score for this club. It’s been a while.

“It’s high competition right now in the front four positions and to stay in the starting XI it’s really important to be consistent, but also to get those [three] points. Whether that’s a goal or an assist, I think it’s important to show that.”

Reflecting on the performance, Tilly added: “I think the first ten minutes we were on them. Unfortunately, they had one counterattack and scored from it. But, at half-time, we said we had the momentum, we had the possession - we just hadn’t really got into the final third with shots on target.

“So, we wanted to make sure we did that more in the second half, and I think that’s exactly what we did - turned it over and scored two good goals. You can definitely say two good goals.”

With a London derby against Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next, the Sweden international spoke of her excitement to be going back to N17. “It’s going to be a great atmosphere.

To play at the stadium, such an amazing stadium, we want to show ourselves in front of the fans - what kind of team we are this season. We’re competing at the top and we want to put on a great show next week.”

Join us in N17

Haven’t got your ticket yet for our WSL clash with Chelsea next Sunday (8 February) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium? Don’t worry as you still have time to secure your seat in N17 for what promises to be an entertaining London derby.

Grab your tickets now and get behind Martin’s side!