New year, same old rotten run of form as Tottenham Hotspur Women slumped to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa earlier this afternoon at Walsall’s Poundland Bescot Stadium in the first Women’s Super League match of 2023.
Spurs took the lead through record signing Bethany England, making her debut following her recent switch from Chelsea, but the Villans turned it around with a quick-fire one-two from Kenza Dali and WSL top-scorer Rachel Daly.
In the absence of the suspended Ashleigh Neville, who has been so instrumental to Spurs so far this season with three goals and two assists, Spurs lacked the cut and thrust her creativity and aggression provide.
Ironically enough, however, it was Neville’s replacement, Chioma Ubogagu that provided the assist for Spurs’ opener when her cross was tucked in by England from close range just before the 30-minute mark for the visitors’ first league goal since October, a run that has spanned five matches.
However, the joy of scoring a goal was so strong that Spurs seemingly forgot how to defend, and Villa went down the other end three minutes later and equalised courtesy of a 20-yard strike from Dali, who beat Tinja-Riikka Korpela, deputising for Rebecca Spencer, after the Finnish international misjudged the effort.
Things went from bad to worse four minutes later for the visitors when Daly turned home Kirsty Hanston’s cross from close range.
Daly’s goal proved to be the decisive goal of the game, as not only did it send her top of the WSL goalscoring charts on 10 goals, but it moved Villa up to 6th on 15 points, and consigned Spurs to yet another defeat that leaves them 8th and stuck on 9 points after 10 matches.
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