Crystal Palace’s first ever game in the Barclays Women’s Super League came on the road as they faced Robert Vilahamn’s Tottenham Hotspur at Brisbane Road.
The new-look Spurs attack were relentless from start to finish – especially in the second half – with Maite Oroz and Hayley Raso the standout performers. The Matilda got her debut goal to cap off a Player of the Match-worthy performance on her debut.
It was a tough outing for Laura Kaminski’s Palace, who showed glimpses of their potential for this season and were not afraid to get forward and give it a real go. However, they lacked any real quality in the final third, with their afternoon capped off by an avoidable second yellow to Brooke Aspin.
Embed from Getty ImagesAs it happened
Debutant Hayley Raso got the action at Brisbane Road underway in the first five minutes of the game when she clipped the bar with her effort on goal – though the flag was swiftly raised for offside.
Spurs’ deadline day signing Maite Oroz did not waste any time on her first start for the club to get the progressive play underway. She fed a nice ball over the top to fellow debutant Raso, who crossed it into the box where it was calmly taken by Yáñez.
Play was halted for approximately four minutes after Amanda Nildén went down after an elbow to the face, though she returned to the field after receiving medical treatment.
The game’s first shot on target came in the 15th minute when Raso pounced on a loose ball vacated by Felicity Gibbons, though her strike was right in the path of the keeper.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe attacks kept coming from Spurs; Drew Spence’s attempt to angle one in from outside the box was stopped by Yáñez again.
Undoubtedly the brightest spark in the first 20 minutes was Raso down the right hand side. Her stellar play paid dividends when she dribbled through two defenders and squeezed her shot into the left hand corner marking a well-deserved debut goal and giving Spurs the lead.
Surprisingly, it took 23 minutes for the game’s first corner. It came to Palace, with Gibbons playing it short into the box to Annabel Blanchard. Her cross almost saw a counter attack led by Jessica Naz, but it was intercepted by Palace’s last line of defence.
Palace enjoyed a spell of possession in the game after they conceded, and had three successive corners at the 30 minute mark, though none forced Becky Spencer to spring into action.
Embed from Getty ImagesTottenham had the chance to get a second goal before half time after Drew Spence played a teasing ball down the middle of the park for Martha Thomas to run onto, but her shot was aimed right at the keeper.
Nildén burst into the box and her one-two with Thomas took defenders out of the game. The Swedish international played a clever flick over to Raso, who looked all but certain to score on the stroke of half time – but Yáñez came to the rescue once again in what was a half of stellar shot-blocking.
Spurs had to wait until one minute into the second half for their first corner of the game, with Nildén’s cross finding Evelina Summanen. It was parried out by Yáñez, and just about out of harm’s way. And just like a bus, you wait ages for one and then a whole flurry come at once: Spurs had three corners, which caused trouble but no goals.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut the pressure from Spurs was going to pay off at some point, and their second came as Jessica Naz narrowly beat the offside trap after her interception fell into the path of Spence who played the ball down back to her , where she went one-on-one with the keeper. And if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again – despite her first effort being saved, the parry out from Yáñez fell right into her path for her to slot home from just feet away to double the scoreline.
Thomas, who had seen few chances in the first half, was on the end of a cross from Summanen, which she controlled with her chest and shot on target. Again, it was blocked, and it looked as though she had winded herself in the process.
The chances continued to come, and the pressure continued to pile up on last season’s Women’s Championship winners. With Spurs not stepping their foot off the gas, it was time for Beth England to make her way onto the field at the hour mark, taking Thomas’ place.
Embed from Getty ImagesThis ultimately saw vice captain Molly Bartrip vacating the captain’s armband after having started the day leading the team. Anna Csiki also came on for her debut in place of the second goalscorer, Naz.
England almost added to the goal tally instantly when she ran onto a through ball played by Spence and drove into the box from a tight angle, though Yáñez was once again in the way. The ball fell to Oroz, who had been everywhere and ran the show from the middle of the park, though her effort was again straight at the Palace keeper.
Palace had their best chance of the game in the 74th minute when Blanchard put in a cross that glazed past the face of goal – but with nobody in the vicinity able to get on the end of it, the chance came and went in a flash.
With 15 minutes left to play in the contest, Spurs’ resurgence finally paid off, with Spence – after a neat layoff from England with her back to goal – saw her place one into the near post to give Spurs a commanding three goal lead.
Embed from Getty ImagesSpurs still didn’t seem content with three goals, and with the ball finding its way to Nildén on the edge of the box, she heard the rallying cries from the crowd to shoot. Her thunderous effort needed a save to be tipped over the bar.
Raso was rewarded for her performance with a standing ovation when she was subbed off for Lenna Gunning-Williams.
But perhaps the best strike of the day came from substitute Olga Ahtinen who took on a long range effort which split two Palace defenders and rifled into the top corner. That all but sealed the deal for Vilahamn and his team.
Embed from Getty ImagesMatters got worse for Palace. Brooke Aspin received two yellows in stoppage time – the first for the intial tackle, and the second for kicking the ball at a helpless Csiki.
With a 4-0 victory, Spurs join Brighton and Hove Albion at the top of the Women’s Super League table, with Aston Villa away next up.
The lineups
TOT: Spencer, Bartrip, Nildén, Naz, Raso, Oroz, Hunt, Thomas, Spence, Summanen, Neville
CRY: Yáñez, Veje, Gibbons, Everett, Blanchard, Weerden, Green, Potter, Riley, Gejl, Stenge
