Tottenham Hotspur have secured fifth place in the Women’s Super League after capitalising on defensive errors to beat London City Lionesses at Brisbane Road.
The victory, Tottenham’s 10th of the season, ended a run of four matches without a win. It also secured a club record points haul in the WSL with 33, surpassing the 32 they amassed in 2021-22.
London City remain in seventh, having won only twice in 12 matches since the start of December.
Spurs’ Goals and Key Moments
Signe Gaupset opened the scoring for the hosts, picking Malou Marcetto’s pocket and slotting home past Elene Lete. Olivia Holdt doubled the lead, whipping a right-footed shot into the top-right corner after a slip from Delphine Cascarino gifted Tottenham possession.
Both goalkeepers were kept busy in a scrappy second half. Maika Hamano saw a long-range effort ricochet off the crossbar and onto the goal line shortly after the break.
Alanna Kennedy scored from close range to set up a tense finale after London City rained efforts down on Lize Kop’s goal. Kop also denied Freya Godfrey in stoppage time.
Contrasting Fortunes Compared to Last Season
In their final home game of the 2024-25 season, Tottenham lost 1-0 to Chelsea, which left them languishing in 10th place. They also went without a win since January.
Although they finished the campaign with a draw at Everton, they slipped to 11th on goal difference. This was the nadir of their time in the WSL.
Fast forward 12 months and it is a contrasting scene at Brisbane Road. With a derby win over London City, Tottenham finished in the top five for only the second time.
Tactical Improvements Under Martin Ho
Under Martin Ho, Tottenham are more secure at the back, conceding 37 goals so far, including only 12 at home, compared to 44 last season. Although Kop was denied a seventh clean sheet, she made several big saves.
Up front, Spurs are less reliant on Bethany England, with Holdt matching her seven goals for the season and Cathinka Tandberg scoring six.
Missed Opportunities and Future Prospects
For all the positives from Ho’s first season at the helm, there is a sense of what might have been. At the end of December, Tottenham were only four points behind second-placed Chelsea and remained in the hunt for European football until mid-February.
However, a run of three defeats and one draw meant their season fizzled away. Opportunities have been missed, perhaps most notably when they threw away a 3-0 lead against Manchester United to draw 3-3.
With about six players expected to leave this summer, including club captain England, changes are expected.