West Ham 3-4 Spurs (WSL) | Robert’s verdict: "The players were brilliant, it was a tough game"
Sun 21 January 2024, 22:30|
Tottenham Hotspur
Robert Vilahamn was proud of his players sticking to the style of football as we edged out West Ham United in a seven-goal thriller at Chigwell Construction Stadium.
It was a rollercoaster of emotions in our first Barclays Women’s Super League fixture of 2024 as we took the lead on two occasions – Grace Clinton with a brace and Celin Bizet also on the scoresheet – but the Hammers fought back to 3-3.
Jess Naz – who was introduced just before the hour mark – fired a low effort into the bottom corner to secure the three points and Robert spoke highly of his players in a difficult evening in Dagenham.
“I was standing there, enjoying the game and the way we were daring to play,” Robert said in his post-match interview. “Obviously, I didn’t like how we defended a few situations, but it was also coming back from that and continue playing, the substitutes coming in and I think the fans really enjoyed this game because we played a certain style. The players were brilliant, and Grace, she was so good.
“They are a tough team and it was a tough game, so to come back and play our style makes me very proud because we didn't just kick out, but we look to play out until the last the minute, which was great to see."
Grace returned to the starting XI after missing the FA Cup tie against Sheffield United and she certainly stole the show in Dagenham, putting us ahead with a lovely finish into the bottom corner.
The 20-year-old turned provider for Celin’s goal before another sweetly struck effort from the edge of the box for our third of the evening, and the boss was full of praise for the midfielder.
“We played her on the left, so she could come inside like she did for Celin’s goal, but it was about how she acted in every situation on the pitch.
“She never lost the ball, carried it very well and made the right decisions - she has developed so much. She has been shining all week and was so nice to see her show that in the game.”
The trip to West Ham was the first of a three-game week, travelling to Southampton in the Conti Cup on Thursday evening before welcoming Manchester City to Brisbane Road on Sunday and Robert outlined the importance of players getting minutes ahead of a busy week.
Robert added: “We have two big games in a row now and I think the team is ready for that. We played a few players coming back from injury, Martha [Thomas] and Amy [Turner] needed to come off just because of the minutes.
“Olga [Athinen] and Eveliina [Summanen] managed to complete the whole game and is great for them, we need to make sure players get more minutes on Thursday and then a big game on Sunday. But it’s a very good start to the year.”
