Full time: Tottenham 0-3 Arsenal
Peep peep! A crushing victory for Arsenal, who were dominant throughout and could have won by more. In the end they settled for three goals from Caitlin Foord, Vivianne Miedema and Katie McCabe. Miedema’s volley, from McCabe’s corner, was quite spectacular. Spurs worked hard and never let their heads drop, but they were sadly outclassed. Thanks for your company and emails, bye!
90 min Three minutes of added time.
88 min Roord, in the D, cracks a curling shot just wide.
87 min A fourth substitution for Spurs: Lucy Quinn on, Kit Graham off.
87 min At the other end, a header from the backpedalling Williams goes a few yards wide. Zinsberger had it covered.
85 min A mishit cross from Nobbs drifts over Spencer and just wide of the far post. Nobbs could easily have had a hat-trick today.
81 min Williams tees up Graham, who spanks miles wide from distance. But Spurs have been good in the last 10 minutes or so, probably the better team.
77 min Zinsberger makes a brilliant triple save! Graham, Williams and Addison were all denied in the space of three or four seconds.
Updated
75 min Arsenal substitution: Anna Patten replaces the excellent Maritz.
74 min Spurs have been better since making those substitutions, although it might just be that Arsenal have declared at 3-0.
72 min Miedema turns Morgan inside out on the left before floating a cross that is headed away by Worm (I think).
71 min And another change for Spurs: So-hyun Cho replaces Josie Green.
70 min A double change for Arsenal: Leonie Maier and Malin Gut replace Foord and McCabe.
67 min Arsenal get in a bit of a mess at the back, with Wubben-Moy losing the ball in a dangerous area. It runs loose to Addison, whose long-range shot is kicked away unconvincingly by Zinsberger. I think that’s Spurs’ first shot on target.
Updated
64 min A double substitution for Spurs: Rachel Williams and Angela Addison replace Ayane and Davison.
GOAL! Tottenham 0-3 Arsenal (McCabe 61)
Katie McCabe makes it three, and it was all her own work. She intercepted McManus’s loose pass towards Morgan, sprinted into the area and threaded the ball into the bottom corner. Nicely done.
Updated
59 min Arsenal win a free-kick 25 yards from goal, slightly to the right of centre. McCabe curls it over the bar.
57 min Zinsberger charges from her area to do some successful sweeper-keeping. Not that it mattered: Dean had been flagged offside.
56 min Arsenal have had 21 shots to Spurs’ 2.
51 min There’s a short break in play after a collision between Zinsberger and Dean. They seem fine.
50 min The second half is following the same pattern as the first. Nobbs cuts the ball back sharply to Roord, who shoots straight at Spencer from 15 yards.
46 min Peep peep! Spurs begin the second half, quite possibly on a wing and a prayer.
Half time: Tottenham 0-2 Arsenal
Peep peep! A desperately one-sided half ends with Arsenal in complete control. Caitlin Foord and Vivianne Miedema scored terrific goals, and it would have been more had Becky Spencer not made two or three fine saves. See you in 10 minutes for the second half.
44 min Miedema shoots wide from the edge of the area after combining with Maritz. Arsenal could easily be 5-0 ahead.
41 min McCabe picks up a loose ball 25 yards from goal, holds off Graham and rifles an excellent low shot that drifts just wide of the far post.
41 min After yet another attack down the Arsenal left, van de Donk sprays well wide from 25 yards.
39 min It’s been a miserable 40 minutes for Spurs, who have been camped in their own half and would be in even more trouble but for the excellence of Becky Spencer.
Updated
GOAL! Tottenham 0-2 Arsenal (Miedema 35)
Her again. This is a brilliant goal from Vivianne Miedema. McCabe curled a left-wing corner towards the penalty spot, where Miedema got away from her marker and steered a superb left-footed volley into the roof of the net. Spencer got a hand on it but couldn’t keep it out.
Updated
34 min Spencer makes another excellent save from Nobbs, who picked up a loose ball on the edge of the area and thrashed a rising drive towards goal. Spencer leapt to tip it over the bar.
33 min Yet another desperate block in the Spurs area, this time from Roord’s shot.
31 min Nobbs shoots over from the edge of the area. This match is painfully one-sided.
30 min Miedema tries to ruin Morgan, who does well to stay with her and concede a corner. When the corner is cleared, Foord is booked for a late tackle on Graham.
28 min: Fine save from Spencer! Miedema collected a deep cross and played a short pass towards Nobbs on the edge of the area. She teased a first-time chip with her left foot, and Spencer leapt to her right to flap it round the post.
27 min Miedema has another shot blocked. This is looking ominous for Spurs.
GOAL! Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal (Foord 27)
Caitlin Foord gives Arsenal the lead with a lovely goal! She ran infield from the right, then stabbed a pass down the line to find Maritz on the overlap. Maritz played a sharp return pass to Foord, who drove a first-time shot through the legs of Zadorsky and into the net. Excellent stuff.
Updated
23 min Dean wins Spurs’ first corner, but Worm overhits it and the ball runs out of play on the other side.
22 min The resulting free-kick is headed wide by Wubben-Moy. She was under pressure and it wasn’t much of a chance.
21 min McManus is booked for a foul on McCabe. She took the ball but her studs were showing, and the referee decided it was a reckless tackle.
Updated
20 min McCabe’s free-kick from the right somewhow finds its way through to Miedema, lurking in space beyond the far post. She chests it down and tries an imaginative lob from a very tight angle. It loops over Spencer and drfts fractionally wide of the far post.
19 min Arsenal have looked really dangerous down the left. Van de Donk receives the ball there, then zips infield past a couple of defenders and shoots straight at Spencer. It was a lovely run but a comfortable save for Spencer.
18 min “Hi Rob,” says Redmond Grimes. “I’m watching from Canada - it’s a treat to see so many women’s games here. Arsenal are dominating, but Spurs would have an outlet if their passing was crisper. There is space at the back for them to exploit.”
That is true; there is a lot of space.
Updated
17 min Miedema, who looks sharp, rifles a shot that hits Zadorsky and deflects into the side netting at the near post.
16 min A promising break from Spurs. Graham breaks into space down the left, but her attempted pass is intercepted by Little on the edge of the area.
14 min This is a pretty big pitch, and Arsenal are making Spurs work extremely hard by moving the ball constantly from side to side.
11 min Miedema turns smartly in the area and drives a shot that takes a double deflection and bounces through to Spencer. Arsenal are well on top.
Updated
9 min van de Donk misses a decent chance. Her volley from Roord’s left-wing cross was blocked, and her tame follow-up was easily saved by Spencer. The second chance was the better one.
Updated
6 min McCabe wins the first corner of the game for Arsenal. She takes it herself and Walti heads clear. But Arsenal keep the ball alive until eventually, from a very tight angle, McCabe whistles a cross-shot just wide of the far post. Good effort. I think it was McCabe, though I’m not entirely certain. You’re most welcome.
Updated
4 min Nothing to report so far. Arsenal have had most of the ball in the first few minutes.
2 min “More than any man’s game, it’s a real shame that this is behind closed doors,” says Charles Antaki. “The projection of the women’s game by playing matches in the main stadia is invaluable.”
Hopefully this will be the latest big derby without a crowd.
1 min Peep peep! Arsenal get the match under way, kicking from left to right.
Right on cue, live pictures appear as the Arsenal players stroll onto the field. Soccer!
Updated
We’re a couple of minutes away from kick off. The match is supposed to be live on the FA Player, but they are cutting it a bit fine.
The return game between Spurs and Arsenal was all about Vivianne Miedema, who scored a hat-trick and became the WSL’s record goalscorer.
The teams in (possible) formation
Tottenham Hotspur (4-4-2) Spencer; Morgan, McManus, Zadorsky, Worm; Davison, Green, Kennedy, Ayane; Dean, Graham.
Substitutes: Mikalsen, Harrop, Peplow, Williams, Cho, Addison, Naz, Quinn, Godfrey.
Arsenal (4-3-3) Zinsberger; Maritz, Wubben-Moy, Walti, McCabe; Little, Roord, van de Donk; Ford, Miedema, Nobbs.
Substitutes: Williams, Patten, Maier, Williamson, Goldie, Gut.
Updated
Pre-match reading
Team news
Today's team to face Arsenal... 👊#THWFC: Spencer, Zadorsky ©, Green, Davison, Dean, Worm, Graham, Kennedy, McManus, Ayane, E.Morgan.
— Tottenham Hotspur Women (@SpursWomen) March 27, 2021
𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗢𝗡 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗦𝗣𝗨𝗥𝗦!#NorthLondonDerby ⚪ #COYS pic.twitter.com/xHcFH9QBGC
🚨 NORTH LONDON DERBY TEAM NEWS 🚨
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) March 27, 2021
💪 @lottewubbenmoy starts
🔥 @JordanNobbs8 returns
🐐 @VivianneMiedema in attack #WeAreTheArsenal 🔴 pic.twitter.com/QjxZoDDwGQ
Manchester United beat West Ham 2-0 in their historic match at Old Trafford earlier today. That means they are six points clear of Arsenal having played two games more - but Arsenal have a vastly superior goal difference, which could be decisive. It’s quite conceivable that both teams will win all their remaining games and each finish on 50 points.
Updated
Preamble
Hello. It’s a big day in the north of London: Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal, one of the great derbies in English football. Arsenal have been ruthless against the teams outside the top four, with nine wins and 41 goals in ten games. That includes a 6-1 tonking of Spurs in the return fixture, though it was much closer when the sides met in the League Cup in November: Spurs played their part in a compelling 2-2 draw before losing on penalties.
On the face of it, Arsenal’s need for points is greater - Spurs sit comfortably in eighth, despite a miserable recent run of form, whereas Arsenal are battling with Manchester United for a place in next season’s Champions League. But the Spurs coach Rehanne Skinner has big ambitions for her team; an historic win over Arsenal would be a significant rite of passage.
Kick off 3.30pm GMT.
Updated
