Sports Writer Lucy Blitz reports live from the Bescot Stadium as Aston Villa slipped to their fourth defeat of the WSL season
Summer signing Martha Thomas proved she was worth every penny spent at the Bescot Stadium this afternoon, after her hat-trick contributed to Spurs’ 4-2 victory over Aston Villa. The home side were searching for their first points of the season after disappointing results against Liverpool and Arsenal but were slow with the ball and outplayed by a Tottenham side climbing their way to the top of the table.
The lunchtime kick-off started positively for Villa, as a challenge on Adriana Leon forced a penalty for the hosts just five minutes into play. Rachel Daly fired the spot-kick home to take an early lead and boost support from the ‘Villans’, aided by a confident performance from Ebony Salmon on the wing. But just as Villa looked to be settling in, Thomas dispossessed fellow Scotland-international Rachel Corsie to chip the ball over Daphne van Domselaar and bring an equaliser for the Lilywhites.
Several chances came for Villa, but Laura Blindkilde-Brown sent a shot over the bar, while Jordan Nobbs’ attempt was forced wide. From there, Spurs took control, and found a second moments before half-time through Ashleigh Neville’s sweet header, assisted by Jessica Naz from a solid corner kick. At the break, the visitors had a clear upper hand, while Villa were heading towards a fourth consecutive defeat in Walsall.
Villa became more frustrated by the minute
Carla Ward’s side had the ability to fight back as play resumed, but Spurs keeper Becky Spencer delivered a fantastic performance in goal to keep out efforts from Leon and Lucy Staniforth. Thomas continued her sensational start to the new season with her second goal of the day, following a messy moment in the Villa box.
Ward sent in reinforcements in the form of Sarah Mayling, Simone Magill and Mayumi Pacheco, but it made little difference as Spurs’ golden girl secured her hat-trick with a magnificent strike from outside the box.
Villa became more frustrated by the minute as Grace Clinton manoeuvred round the defence on the hunt for Spurs’ fifth. Having received her international call-up for the upcoming Nations League fixtures, Clinton was keen to demonstrate her ability having already assisted Thomas’ second. With five additional minutes, Villa found a late goal through Lucy Parker, but the full-time whistle left fans disappointed with yet another loss for the home side.
With a tough list of opening fixtures, the road gets no easier for Carla Ward’s team
Even with their promising start to the game, a few too many poorly timed passes from Villa left Spurs with chances to capitalise on sloppy mistakes and take the win. The Lilywhites raced to take a first-place spot in the League but were shortly knocked down to second following Man City’s 1-0 victory at the King Power Stadium in Saturday’s only other WSL fixture.
Speaking after the game, Tottenham manager Robert Vilahamn explained that while sitting top of the table was a huge achievement, his focus was elsewhere. “I want to know how we play, how we press, how we improve”, said the Swedish manager, insisting that Spurs had plans to use the international break to “train even harder”. After a strong start to his debut season with the North London team, Vilahamn explained that “anything is possible” when asked about a possible Champions League spot for the side.
Spurs’ start to the new campaign has mirrored that of the men’s first team as well as Tottenham’s U-18s and U-21s. Thomas joked that there’s “something in the water in London”, after reflecting on her own stunning performance against Villa. As she becomes the WSL’s leading goal-scorer so far in 2023/24, Thomas explained that while stats might be important for strikers, she’s “not looking at that”, and that “three points on the board is all that matters”. The Spurs striker praised Vilahamn’s method of allowing the squad to develop their own personalities alongside his style of play and noted that the team have “surprised a lot of people with their performances so far”. For Thomas, her strength within the Spurs squad will only develop with the return of captain Bethany England, a partnership that supporters are eagerly awaiting.
As for Aston Villa, the side remain pointless and maintain their spot in 11th place.
As for Aston Villa, the side remain pointless and maintain their spot in 11th place. With a tough list of opening fixtures, the road gets no easier for Carla Ward’s team as they face Chelsea on return from the international break in two weeks time. Speaking on her side’s performance, Ward said the team failed to get started in what was “a poor afternoon” for the hosts.
Rachel Daly had little opportunity to make her mark on the game, and remains without her partner Kenza Dali – a pair that Ward described as working “like clockwork” last season. Dali and Kirsty Hanson should return in time for Villa’s meeting with Chelsea, but the side face even more pressure following yet another loss today. For Daly, her shot at a second successive golden boot is slipping away as the likes of Thomas and Brighton’s Elisabeth Terland become ever-more unreachable.
For a side tipped for big things this campaign, Villa are running out of time to make an impact on the new season.
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