Rehanne credits team’s desire on historic night for Spurs Women
Thu 20 January 2022, 14:47|
Tottenham Hotspur
When Spurs Women took to the pitch against Liverpool in Wednesday night’s Continental League Cup quarter-final, Rehanne Skinner said she wanted her players to put in a performance that ‘rectified’ Sunday’s late heartbreak against West Ham – and the team certainly delivered.
Having conceded a late, late equaliser against the Hammers on Sunday to draw a Barclays FA Women’s Super League meeting we had dominated, we produced the required response against the Reds, defeating them 1-0 at the Hive to progress to the semi-finals of the League Cup for the first time in our history.
In a tense encounter between two in-form sides, we ultimately edged the contest as, after having struggled to break down the dogged leaders of the FA Women’s Championship, Rachel Williams struck to break the deadlock on 72 minutes and book our place in the last four.
It was, without doubt, a gritty and hard-fought battle against the Merseyside outfit, but Rehanne felt that it was the sort of performance and result that was needed from the group as we looked to put amends to Sunday’s hammer blow.
There was a real purpose in how we wanted to go about the game, and we’re delighted to get through to the next round
“It feels really, really good (to be through to the semi-finals). The players have worked incredibly hard tonight,” she explained. “We wanted to put in a performance that rectified Sunday - obviously we’re still a little bit disappointed from the weekend, but I think the players wanted to get back on the pitch as soon as possible. There’s always that want to do better and that desire from the team, so I think it was really important for us to get on and make sure we got a result out of tonight. And reaching the semi-finals is obviously a massive achievement for us.
“There was a real purpose in how we wanted to go about the game, and we’re delighted to get through to the next round. It wasn’t always pretty, to be honest, but we found a way to get through the game.
“I think we were just a little bit more assertive in the second half, and a little better in terms of our forward passing play, so we created better chances than we had in the first. There were a couple (of opportunities) that went incredibly close which we probably could have got on the end of, but I think that changed the momentum in our favour and then we just got a little bit more confidence in their half and it (produced) an opportunity for a goal.”
Victory and a place in the last four marks another significant milestone for Rehanne. Having secured our WSL status at the end of last season, we have gone from strength to strength under our Head Coach since she was appointed in November, 2020, with us currently sitting level on points with second-placed Chelsea in the league and now looking forward to our first-ever major cup semi-final.
“I’m really pleased with the way we’re progressing,” Rehanne smiled. “The team has come together brilliantly; it is a really tight-knit squad, everybody works incredibly hard for each other, and you have seen again tonight, everyone that comes on the pitch, whether that be to start or come off the bench, has a significant impact. And I thought the substitutes did very well again and that definitely gave us a lift at a key time and shifted the momentum in our favour.
“I think, all those little bits, when you add them together… we’re moving in a really positive direction and massive credit to the players to be in a semi-final now after that period of time.”
