Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 West Ham: Flying start for Hanson
· Yahoo Sports
Kirsty Hanson marked her Tottenham debut with a brace as Spurs opened their Women’s Super League campaign with an impressive 3-1 victory over West Ham.
Signe Gaupset opened the scoring in the 18th minute before turning provider for Hanson ten minutes later, as Tottenham took control of the contest with two goals in quick succession.
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Hanson, who was among the WSL’s leading scorers for Aston Villa last season, then produced the pick of the goals in the second half, curling a superb effort into the top corner to complete her brace.
Viviane Asseyi pulled one back for West Ham deep into stoppage time, but it proved little more than consolation after a commanding opening-day performance from Spurs.
As it happened
Both sides made a somewhat tentative start, with misplaced passes and hurried clearances disrupting the early rhythm of the contest.
Tottenham created the first notable opening when Matilda Vinberg delivered towards the right side of the six-yard box for Caitlin Dijkstra, whose effort was blocked by the West Ham defence.
The visitors responded through Riko Ueki, who tried her luck from distance, but the difficult angle meant her effort caused few problems for experienced Netherlands goalkeeper Lize Kop.
Spurs soon began to settle, and their aggressive press increasingly made it difficult for West Ham to play their way out from the back.
The breakthrough arrived after 18 minutes.
Julie Blakstad’s header found Gaupset, who met the ball with a volley that struck the post before travelling across goal and nestling into the opposite bottom corner.
The goal visibly lifted Tottenham, and it took just ten more minutes for the hosts to double their advantage.
Gaupset was again at the heart of the move, cutting through West Ham’s defensive shape before releasing Hanson. The Scotland international took her opportunity, with the ball finding its way beyond Constance Picaud and into the net to give the debutant her first Tottenham goal.
Having conceded twice in quick succession, West Ham struggled to cope with Tottenham’s intensity and found themselves increasingly pinned back by the hosts’ high press.
There were still occasional openings for the Hammers. Asseyi drove forward before finding Ebony Salmon, but the striker’s left-footed effort was directed straight at Kop.
Tottenham continued to look the more threatening side after the interval.
Their fluid movement caused West Ham problems, with Spurs regularly finding ways to connect midfield and attack. Picaud was called into action shortly after half-time before Blakstad narrowly failed to reach a dangerous Gaupset delivery, sliding in just too early to make contact.
West Ham remained within two goals, but any hopes of a comeback were effectively extinguished in the 74th minute.
And once again, it was Hanson who delivered.
Collecting possession on the edge of the penalty area, the forward steadied herself before curling a brilliant effort into the top corner beyond Picaud.
It was an emphatic way for Hanson to complete her brace on debut and capped an excellent individual display from the summer arrival.
At 3-0, Tottenham were firmly in control.
West Ham continued searching for a route back into the contest and eventually found one deep into stoppage time.
Saki Kumagai regained possession high up the pitch, allowing Asseyi to react quickest and get to the ball before Kop could clear the danger. The French international converted to reduce the deficit, but the goal arrived far too late to threaten Tottenham’s advantage.
Spurs almost restored their three-goal cushion shortly afterwards when Shekiera Martinez thought she had scored against her former club, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.
The final whistle nevertheless confirmed an impressive start to the new campaign for Tottenham.
There was particular encouragement in the immediate impact of their new arrivals. Gaupset combined a goal with an assist, while Hanson could hardly have asked for a better introduction to life in Tottenham colours, scoring twice to ensure Spurs began the season with three points.
It represented a significant contrast to the corresponding opening fixture between these sides last season, which was decided by a solitary goal.
This time, Tottenham produced a far more assertive attacking display.
One match cannot define what is to come across an entire WSL campaign, but the intensity, movement and attacking threat on display provided an encouraging first indication of what Spurs could offer this season.