A heartbreaking loss put the nail in the coffin of our European dreams right before international break.
#ThingsYouLoveToSee 👋 pic.twitter.com/hF4DzBLEci
— Tottenham Hotspur Women (@SpursWomen) April 3, 2022
Coach Rayhan Skinner made only a few changes from their March 13 loss to Manchester City, with Jessica Naz coming in for Cho So-hyun, Ashley Neville returning to fullback after his fruitful exploits on the pitch, and Rhea Percival in midfield. were moving forward.
In the early stages of the game, Spurs looked dissatisfied and distraught, perhaps after two weeks off. Most of Spurs' early possession ended in mishit passes and dribbles under pressure, not least because Villa doubles and triples marked Rachel Williams, Rhea Percival and Ash Neville whenever she crossed the halfway mark. Spurs' own press was unusually disorganized. Villa had no trouble playing through it, although they looked equally toothless and never posed any real threat.
Each side traded an early chance—after only ten minutes, Ash Neville intercepted a Villa pass and found Jessica Naz, who played a sweet ball through to Rachel Williams. With an early and decisive cut-in, Williams could have 1v1 with goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, but she made a few extra touches and had to settle for a corner. Shortly after, Villa fullback Maz Pacheco pounced on a fault in Spurs' back line during the buildup, and found the electric Petzelberger at the top of the box. Petzelberger spun and threw a pinpoint pass toward Alisha Lehmann at the far post, but Lehmann collided with Kerry's Harrop and the ball went out for a goal kick. Lehmann appealed the penalty, but the referee was not interested.
Around the 20-minute mark, Spurs found their footing. Something happened between our attackers, and their organized pressure forced multiple turnovers giving half chances. Villa could hardly smell anything in the other half, but Spurs continued to struggle with their final product. Rachel Williams almost got to the end of a few balls, but they all fell beyond her reach.
In the second half, Rosella Ayane came in for Jessica Naz. Naz looked bright on the ball and put in good defensive work, but missed the last few games, so it was probably a planned, equine replacement. Tottenham picked up a half right hand where they left off - Rachel Williams received a pass from Kerrys Harrop under pressure and turned in the penalty area, but she scuffed the shot and it dribbled harmlessly toward Hampton's glove. Spurs spent more than enough time in Villa's penalty area, notably whether Simon's skid volley and a close-range effort from Rhea Percival cleared the line.
Around the 60th minute, the game began to slip out of Spurs' control. Coach Rehne Skinner brought in Angela Edison for a tired Sumnan on 68, who relinquished some midfield control, and the introduction of Villa's Jill Scott and Chantel Boe-Hlorca moved the tide further.
Villa's goal came after constant pressure. Pacheco collected a clearance and played a dangerous ball toward the top of the box, Rachel Corsi flicked it forward, and Petzelberger reacted to the far post with a strong header from Becky Spencer ahead of Ashley Neville . Spurs tried their best to save a point in the last minute, but to no avail. Villa was strong and saw the game.
It's a familiar story—Spurs dominated for a long time, but struggled to create and convert clear-cut chances and ran into defender Anita Asante and goalkeeper Hannah Hampton. It makes me wonder if a team with game time, speed and a clean bill of health can come up with all three points. As the game progressed, the key players seemed motionless. Evelina Sumnain didn't seem as omnipresent as ever, and we lost some control of midfield when she left the pitch. Rachel Williams is usually more than capable of handling double and triple markings, but she lost the ball several times in the final 30 minutes. Villa scores with his only shot on target, and another day, Neville tracks Petzelberger's run or we clear the ball before it falls to him.
The good news is that Spurs are still in 5th place with 3 points, two (albeit difficult) games in hand, and a considerable goal difference at Brighton. This game exposed known shortcomings in our squad, but we saw what this team and this coach could do. We won't be the only team to upgrade this summer, but I am confident that if we do, we will be back in contention for a Champions League spot next season.