We are back in Barclays WSL action for another season with Tottenham facing newly promoted to the league, Crystal Palace. Crystal Palace have become the 19th team to join the Women’s Super League.
Newcomer to the Tottenham lineup, Hayley Raso makes an attempt to open the scoring for spurs within the first three minutes, but the shot deflects off the crossbar.
Matildas’ forward, Hayley Raso, opens the scoring for Tottenham in the 18th minute with a shot from just outside the box after making a run down the wing and volleying the ball into the Spurs net, just past the Palace shot stopper, Shae Yánez, with an assist from number 25 Evelina Summanen
Martha Thomas makes an attempt to double the lead from inside the box just before halftime but gets blocked by Yánez deflecting the ball away.
HT – Tottenham 1-0 Crystal Palace
Jessica Naz takes on the keeper and slots it into the net in her second attempt, doubling the home sides lead in the 53rd minute with an assist from Drew Spence
Martha Thomas makes a second attempt to increase the advantage but the shot lands right in the keepers’ hands.
Drew Spence increases the Lily Whites advantage with a right footed shot from the centre of the box, slotting it into the bottom corner, with an assist by captain Bethany England in the 76th minute
Spurs increase their lead via a right footed shot from outside the box and slotted into the top bins by Olga Ahtinen in the 89th minute with an assist from newcomer to the club, Maite Oroz
Crystal Palace player, Brooke Aspin gains a second yellow card in a minute which concludes her time in the game today, getting her sent off in the 95th minute
Tottenham gain their first 3 points of the season, placing them 3rd in the league table
FT – Tottenham 4-0 Crystal Palace
When speaking to Tottenham manager, Robert Vilahamn, he spoke on the new signings from the summer window and how they’ve settled into the team, he commented “they have all settled in very good, I feel like most of them are people that we know of as a person as well. We don’t just sign players; we sign people as well”
Hayley Raso made her wsl debut and also scored her debut goal for Tottenham today, when asked how having fellow Australian player, Clare Hunt, come in at the same time as her has helped her settle into the squad, she stated “it’s definitely helped, I think having the two aussie girls on the team has made settling in pretty easy”
**Teams:
Tottenham Hotspur (4-3-3) – Spencer, Neville, Hunt, Bartrip, Nildén, Summanen, Oroz, Spence, Naz, Thomas, Raso
Goalscorers : Raso 18’, Naz 53’, Spence 76’, Ahtinen 95’
Crystal Palace (4-5-1) – Yánez, Veje, Gibbons, Everett, Blanchard, Weerden, Green, Potter, Riley, Gejl, Stengel
Attendance – 1,778
Referee – Amy Fearn*
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