A new home, a new manager, a first win and Alex Morgan’s first goal. Finally, life has been breathed into Tottenham’s season.
Rehanne Skinner said her introduction to management in England’s top flight “could not have gone any better” after a 3-1 defeat of Brighton.
Having moved her team into the club’s Hotspur Way training facility full-time, the former assistant to Phil Neville at England had a very short time after the international break to make an impact, but the win, a performance full of fight and a late penalty for the USA superstar Morgan have transformed the fortunes of the previously winless side.
Skinner had said before the game it was “a lot to ask in a short space of time to turn things around”. After, she was “really pleased” with how much had filtered on to the pitch.
“They’ve come into the environment, listened to what we want to get out of it and then bought into how we want to play moving forward,” Skinner said. “If you have that you get in a position where things will start to translate into the game a bit better.”
Skinner has a much kinder run of fixtures than the one that led to the departure of the co-managers Karen Hills and Juan Amoros. They played top-five teams seven times in their opening 11 games in all competitions, leaving Skinner to inherit players who have gone through test after test against the best in the league.
Her attempt to lift spirits swiftly appeared to have worked. Early pressure on Morgan as she skated towards the box led to a generous free‑kick and Kerys Harrop stepped up to whip it into a top corner, grazing a hand of the Brighton goalkeeper, Megan Walsh. At 11 minutes it was Spurs’ earliest goal this term.
A hat-trick from Australia striker Sam Kerr helped Chelsea past a resilientand manager-less West Ham and ensured the Blues stay three points behindleague leaders Manchester United with a game in hand.
England's Rachel Daly had equalised for the Hammers early in the secondhalf following Kerr's opener but two more goals from the former NWSL andW-League top scorer ensured the Chelsea had done enough before a late owngoal from captain Magda Eriksson.
Arsenal remain two points ahead of their London rivals in second afterthree goals in just over 30 minutes crushed Birmingham for a 3-0 win. Hannah Hamptonsaved a Kim Little penalty to keep her team in the game before goals fromforwards Caitlin Foord and Jill Roord and another Little penalty endedhopes of taking something from the game.
Manchester City's 3-0 victory over Everton, to leapfrog them into fourth,was marred by injury to US World Cup star Rose Lavelle. Having scored acracker for the US against their World Cup final opponents the Netherlandslast week, Lavelle was making her second league start for City before beingforced off at half time. First-half goals from England striker Ellen White,centre back Gemma Bonner and Canadian forward Janine Beckie had alreadyensured the win.
Bristol City earned their second point of the season in a 1-1 draw after taking the leadagainst Reading just before half time on the counter. Emma Bissell's goalwas cancelled out by Fara Williams but a dominant Reading could not findthe win.
Brighton struggled to carve out chances, with signs of Skinner’s aim of putting her team “in a position where we’re making it difficult for teams to break us down” showing. But just past the half-hour a wild and unnecessary attempt at an overhead clearance from the Australian Alanna Kennedy caught Brighton’s Aileen Whelan in the head and Inessa Kaagman rocketed the ball in to equalise from the spot.
Spurs, though, were dominant and Morgan looked to be starting to settle and find her fitness on her return from the US camp in the Netherlands. Making her second start, and fourth appearance, the two-times World Cup winner forced a fine save from Walsh towards the close of the first half.
As energy started to sap, Brighton saw more of the ball and had the odd chance. Fliss Gibbons’s long-range effort did not having enough power, though.
Morgan had the ball in the net at the far post in the second half but was flagged offside, and it would be the 20-year-old Addison who edged Spurs towards victory, the forward going on a driving, dribbling run, skipping round Walsh and slotting coolly home.
Morgan would finally score to ease nerves after Kaagman rattled the bar. Victoria Williams shoved Ria Percival and Morgan slotted in the penalty. There were high-fives all round and it would be her last action; she retired to the stands with the other substitutes before turning round and asking her husband, Servando Carrasco, whether he had missed her first goal since the World Cup and pregnancy as he bounced a grumpy baby Charlie up and down.
The win lifts Tottenham to ninth, doubles their points tally, and suddenly things don’t look quite so bleak.
