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Sonia Bompastor’s Chelsea looked to get back to winning ways against Tottenham Hotspur after the French coach suffered consecutive defeats for the first time in her managerial career.

The Blues offered Bompastor a contract extension midweek, and she made two changes to the side who were torn apart at the Etihad Stadium last week – Sjoeke Nusken came in to replace Wieke Kaptein, while Johanna Rytting Kaneryd was brought in for Sandy Baltimore.

With Madonna watching on, Tottenham would have been hoping to give her an A-list performance by avoiding defeat to their London rivals for the first time after suffering 17 consecutive defeats to the current WSL champions.

The hosts began the game brightly, causing plenty of issues to a nervous Chelsea side, and they fell to an unfortunate deficit after the opening period, with the superb positioning of the experienced Keira Walsh giving The Blues a first half lead.

The visitors began the second period much like they ended the first – this time with an excellent eye from Scottish midfielder Erin Cuthbert to find Nusken over the top whose shot was saved into the path of Alyssa Thompson, who struck in consecutive games for the second time already in 2026.

Chelsea then continued to find themselves right in the game as the second half progressed, and The Blues saw out what ended up being a comfortable 2-0 victory to send them back above Arsenal and into the top three.

Here are VAVEL’s Chelsea player ratings for the clash.

Chelsea Player Ratings

Hannah Hampton – 6.5

Had a much better and more comfortable performance in between the sticks today. Hampton was forced into a couple of saves, but none of which truly tested her. England’s number one perhaps should have conceded late on, but an effort from Olivia Holdt went straight into her arms.

Naomi Girma – 6

Looked a touch more switched on than last week against Man City, and Girma made some important blocks and tackles throughout. Central to many of the times defensively where she was required to get the ball clear when under pressure.

Millie Bright – 6

Looked to remain calm and composed after what was a nervous opening period. Bright led a much a tighter and more compact defence in the second half which helped seal the win once The Blues defence was able to settle into the game.

Came off with injury late on in the game.

Ellie Carpenter – 6.5

Rapid and threatening down the right flank. Carpenter caused plenty of problems for the Tottenham backline throughout, including whipping in multiple crosses into dangerous areas.

Sjoeke Nüsken – 7.5

Showed some excellent ability to read the play defensively in the opening 20 minutes after Spurs looked like they may break the deadlock before Nusken came to the rescue and blocked the effort.

Equally, going forward, Nusken made the brilliant run which drew in a brilliant ball from Cuthbert which led to Chelsea’s second goal.

Veerle Buurman – 5

Buurman failed to make much of an impact in this game. She did make a couple of blocks and interceptions in defence but overall was unable to truly contribute to this victory. She wasn’t at her best with the ball either, and lost seven duels during the game as Chelsea continued to look nervous in the opening period.

Lauren James – 5

Failed to offer much of her trademark dangerous dribbles in the first half. James looked much more like herself in the second period, and drew in a couple of important fouls throughout, forcing opposing goalkeeper Lize Kop into a strong save.

Erin Cuthbert – 6

Excellent ball to find Nusken early in the second half in a pass that effectively made the second goal happen. Cuthbert looked strong in midfield, cutting out passing lanes well and efficiently looking to get the ball up the pitch once Chelsea looked more settled.

Keira Walsh – 6.5

Walsh made a brilliant, precise ball over the top early on in the first half, creating a chance The Blues perhaps could have utilised to gain an early lead.

Minutes before the interval, Walsh took on that role herself, firing the visitors into what was a surprising lead after positioning herself excellently from a corner to blast her team ahead.

Alyssa Thompson – 7

Was not really involved too much in the first period, Thompson’s first real contribution of the game was finding herself in a perfect position to feed off a parried save to double Chelsea’s lead.

Johanna Rytting Kaneryd - 6.5

Getting the nod to start up front this week, Kaneryd took full advantage of the chance, making numerous darting and dangerous runs as Chelsea looked very threatening down the right flank.

Substitutes:

Lexi Potter – 6.5

Wasn’t really required to have to stand out too much in the second half. Potter did her job exceptionally well and played a role to a tee – didn’t really step a foot wrong or put her team in trouble.

Sandy Baltimore – 5.5

Failed to really get into the game since coming on. Had the ball on few occasions and was dispossessed or gave the ball away on multiple occasions.

Guro Reiten – 6

Reiten did not quite have enough time to have an impact on the match, only playing 11 minutes in all.

Samantha Kerr – 6

Much the same as Reiten, Kerr was not able to have much of an influence on the match as she would have hoped. Came on more for fresh legs as Chelsea generally looked to see out the game.

Chloe Sarwie – N/A

Thomas Frank was quick to step in and defend Cristian Romero's captaincy after the Argentine was sent off during Tottenham's 2-0 defeat to Manchester United on Saturday.

The central defender was handed a straight red card by Michael Oliver 29 minutes into the game after the English referee judged his tackle on Casemiro to be dangerous.

The sending off, which was Romero's second this season, was the catalyst that led to yet another disappointing afternoon for Frank's men as they continue to search for their first league win of the new year.

Tottenham's captain will also serve a four match ban as a result of the booking, missing games against Newcastle, Crystal Palace, Fulham and the North London Derby.

When asked if he had any regrets about making the 27-year-old his captain, Frank said: "No, there's not. Also, he said he was sorry for the incident, apologised to his teammates in the changing room. No, I think he's one of the most important players and I think when he performs top, he’s driving the team.

"I think if you look at how many red cards he has had, it's not like he had that many throughout his career. You play with passion and you play with aggression and there's a fine line when did you do that."

Since making his debut for Spurs in August 2021, Romero has been sent off a total of six times across all competitions - the most for a Premier League player in that period.

The defender's lack of discipline at certain moments has prompted many to question his suitability as a leader for Frank's men.

"I think it's fair to say I don't think he had any intention to get a red card after 28 minutes," said the Danish manager, who stuck by his captain.

"The red card is a red card. I watched it now about five times. Cuti clearly tried to go for the ball, thought he'd just moved before and then it was a red card.

"We haven't spoken specifically about the situation because he apologised to the players, to us, to the players, to the team in there. That's enough for me for now. That’s it, nothing more to do now."

Thomas Frank was quick to express pride for his Tottenham side despite the North Londoners suffering yet another league defeat - this time at the hands of Manchester United.

Frank's men walked into Old Trafford looking for their first league win of 2026, however, a first half red card for captain Cristian Romero sent Spurs into survival mode.

The 60 minutes plus added time that followed saw The Lilywhites struggle to rescue a point in Manchester, but to no avail as goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes sealed their fate.

“I'm very happy with the players and what they're showing," said Frank, who sees his team sit six points above the relegation zone, with just one win in their last ten league games.

"I think they actually show a lot of resilience because it's very, very tough to get out there every week and don't get enough of the good results.

"I think it was a good away performance, very even against a Man United team in flow and playing with confidence. So, happy with that. Of course, the red card changed the momentum. I'm very proud of the players in general."

The Danish manager also acknowledged that, despite the side's poor form, it is important to keep going if they are to turn their good performances into results.

He said: "We can't run away from that - we haven't won enough in the Premier League. We're just coming on the back end of four good games where we also showed a lot of resilience. Before that, we also did it, but we didn't get enough of the results when we turned around in the second half.

"I think there's no other alternative than keep going. I think that's fair to say, which we will do, of course, but it's in life and football, there's very tough times.

"In the very tough times, head up, head down, stand up, face it, keep going. There's no other way. That's what the players are doing. They show it every single week.

"So, I think there's still a lot to hang the hat on in terms of resilience but the performances need to be backed up with a little bit, do more, and get a little, keep doing the right things because then the results will show."

Tottenham go into Saturday's Premier League contest against Manchester United geed up by their second half fight back against Manchester City last time out, hoping they have finally turned the corner in what has been a topsy turvy season so far for Thomas Frank's men.

Frank was in no doubt regarding the ambitions the club moving forward, as Tottenham look to turn things around.

He said: "This club is very ambitious. I think if it was like this, easy to get another play in, then I'd play Football Manager. I decided it was not as fun to be a Head Coach at Tottenham. So, it's never that easy.

“It's much more complicated. We all know that. We are in different stages of where we want to be, but that's not to say that we are not ambitious. We are very ambitious.”

He added: “I also think it is maybe a nice little context to say that Man United don't play European football. I think we can all acknowledge that it is an extra challenge, something we embrace, and we are happy with.

“So, I think let's judge us when we are on the same challenges. The ambition is that we want to do very well and carry on with the good performances and beat Man United.”

When asked about the fans fear regarding the lack of activity towards the end of the transfer window.

Frank said: "What I like is that the fans are very passionate and they want the best for the club. And are very ambitious, which they should be. Tottenham is a fantastic club, and we should achieve great things.

"It's also, you say the chances, we have a few players out, some of them are coming back, and a lot of them are coming back also this season, and hopefully sooner rather than later. So, that's one thing.

“Of course we look into loan options, of course we look into other options, but for different reasons, nothing more happened."

He added: "I still think it was not like we wanted to buy five players. It was not the case. So, we got a very good player in Conor Gallagher and a good young one in Souza.”

Frank also said that midfielder Xavi Simons is 'adapting more and more to the Premier League' following the Dutchman's performance return to form in recent weeks.

He said: "I think he took plenty of risks also when he started. I just think now, of course, naturally, he is more consistent. He is knowing his team-mates better. The team-mates know him better.

“We have become a little bit more consistent. He is adapting more and more to the Premier League and also to play in the Premier League and Champions League is just different.

“His last performances have been very good and the way he is creating for the team in different ways, I like that. He was touching the ball in behind, he was driving the ball, slide pass, outside the foot, cross, so I think he is getting better and better.”

Tottenham Hotspur are making the journey up to Old Trafford as they prepare to take on Manchester United in the Premier League tomorrow.

Tottenham's form

Despite being unbeaten in their last four matches, Spurs will be hoping to improve on their current streak of a minute two wins in their last 15 appearances.

Their last league performances were a 2-2 draw with Manchester City on Sunday and, prior to that, a 2-2 draw against Burnley away.

In the Champions League, there was slightly more success to be had for Thomas Frank’s side, as they qualified for the knockout stages of the competition with two 2-0 wins; one at home against Borussia Dortmund and one away at Frankfurt, respectively.

Now, focus will be redirected on domestic success, with a win tomorrow essential to bring Spurs up from 14th, where they currently sit in the league – 12 points behind Manchester United who are in 4th.

Head-to-head record

Tottenham and Manchester United have faced each other 209 times, with Spurs winning 58 of those encounters – losing 96 and drawing the remaining 52.

The last time the pair came up against each other, and the first time Frank coached his side against the Red Devils, was in November 2025 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the match ending in a 2-2 draw.

The Lilywhites’ most recent win against United came in the Europa League final in Bilbao in May 2025, with a 1-0 victory giving Spurs their first trophy in 17 years and catapulting them into the Champions League amid a season where they did not have as much league success.

Away at Old Trafford, the last success for Spurs was in September 2024 with a 3-0 win – with Tottenham also taking control of the reverse fixture with a 1-0 win in north London the following February.

The 2024/25 season became the first time Tottenham had taken the league double over the Red Devils in the Premier League era – a feat Frank cannot match but will hope to get close to

Potential starting XI?

Frank’s side has been plagued with injuries since before the Dane took over the north London club, and this has greatly limited the pool of players available for each match – with the current injury list stretching into double figures.

However, some positivity has been enshrined onto the Lilywhites recently.

Defender Micky Van de Ven is set to make his return on Saturday after returning from a hamstring strain.

Captain Christian Romero, who came down with an illness during last Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Manchester City, will also be available for tomorrow’s fixture.

Dominic Solanke should be available after recently returning to the pitch, and getting straight back into his goal scoring ways.

Additionally, Radu Dragusin may also feature after making his first appearance in a year against Manchester City last weekend – the defender has been nursing an ACL injury but has slowly been re-integrating back into the squad.

New signing Conor Gallagher could also retain his place in the starting line-up for the third match in a row since his transfer from Atletico Madrid.

Predicted Tottenham line-up (4-3-2-1):

Vicario (GK); Palhinha, Romero, Van de Ven, Dragusin; Udogie, Gray, Gallagher; Muani, Simons; Solanke

It remains quite the turnaround for Manchester United. Since Michael Carrick took the job as interim head coach, it is three consecutive wins.

The first two wins against Manchester City and Arsenal were statement victories and ones to get fans excited. However, there have been occasions in previous seasons when they have secured positive wins against some of the top teams in the league but not backed this up consistently. Therefore, last week's 3-2 win against Fulham could be viewed as one of the more significant.

There is a good energy around Old Trafford at the moment and the side are rightly feeling confident. They are unbeaten in their last five Premier League games and are now 4th in the table. They will hope to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League and, whilst there is still fourteen games to play, they are in a good position to do this.

There may be a thought that if only they could have turned some of the games against West Ham, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leeds United under Ruben Amorim into wins instead of draws then they could find themselves in an even better position and potentially even be part of the sides pushing Arsenal.

Nonetheless, Michael Carrick deserves a lot of praise for what he has achieved since arriving at the club and will want to keep it going.

They will go into the game against Tottenham Hotspur as favourites to win as Thomas Frank's side, despite a draw with Manchester City last week, are struggling for form.

When the two sides met in November, it ended in a 2-2 draw after a stoppage time equaliser from United.

However, Spurs were victorious in the UEFA Europa League final between the two sides last season, but a lot has changed since then.

It could be the unpredictable nature of Spurs that makes this game a tough one for Carrick. Dominic Solanke returned to fitness last week and scored twice in the game with City so United will have to be aware of that threat.

Defensively work to do?

The one area of concern for Carrick may be that in the last two games, his side have conceded four goals.

They have won both games so it has not proved costly but it could be a problem if it continues. Conceding two goals a game, leaves the attacking players with a lot to do if you are to win the game. Late goals are also great ways to win games, as was the case at Arsenal and last week, but they cannot always be relied upon.

Particularly against Fulham at home, Carrick's side were 2-0 up but let the opposition back into the game late in the second half and nearly threw away the three points as a result.

Entertaining side to watch

However, his side have scored eight goals in their last three games and that is a positive outcome. Bryan Mbuemo has proven his quality to adapt to life at a club like United and Matheus Cunha has filled in for the injured Patrick Dorgu by scoring two goals himself in the last two games.

There are many positives at United at the moment but the energy and purpose to their play, with a desire to get goals and players who want to make an impact is clear to see.

The summer signings are making an impact and players like Kobbie Mainoo and Casemiro are looking to play the forward passes in midfield and get the side moving forward.

There is more to it than just playing on the front foot and Carrick has his side organised enough to look dangerous on the attack but to also get results. He has only been at the club for a short period of time too so will hope that there is more to come from his players.

Wary of Spurs

Despite their struggles, Spurs still have the potential to come away with a win as they have the quality to cause problems.

They progressed automatically from the UEFA Champions League and, on their day, they can get a positive result in a one-off game.

On many occasions, finding consistency had been the problem that United suffered from yet they still had the ability to look like a quality side on any day. That is a similar situation that Spurs can find themselves in.

It is also something that makes this game interesting and possibly harder to predict.

Each win possibly adds an extra layer of pressure to Carrick that was not there before as they are on a good run so there becomes an expectation that this will continue and they will look up the table, as opposed to below them.

He will know not to underestimate Spurs.

Tottenham Hotspur are currently 14th in the Premier League and have one league win in their last six games. They lost to West Ham and drew with Burnley in their last two games.

Last week they only just avoided defeat at Turf Moor, thanks to a late goal from Cristian Romero. Romero is currently one of the club's top scorers with two goals from their centre back in their last two league games.

Yet in Europe, they have qualified for the Last 16 in the UEFA Champions League and have had some impressive results, notably a recent win over Borussia Dortmund.

The pressure remains on manager Thomas Frank and many of the Spurs supporters are not convinced that he is the man to take the club forward.

Manchester City will undoubtedly provide a tough test and it will be a challenge for a Spurs side who need to start picking up points sooner rather than later.

Pep Guardiola's side remain second in the table and will be looking to keep the pressure on Arsenal. However, before their win last weekend, they were without a win in their previous four league matches and had lost ground in the title race.

When the sides met back in August, it was a 2-0 win for Frank's side.

Time to climb the table?

After disappointing results lately they have slipped down the table and with Leeds United and Nottingham Forest starting to pick up points, Spurs may have started looking over their shoulder.

It may seem too early to talk of Spurs in a relegation battle but they are only three points ahead of Forest and two ahead of Leeds.

They have tough fixtures coming up in their next four games and City is the start of this but they need to start putting points on the board and climbing the table.

Performances in recent weeks may have improved slightly but the results have not been what is expected of the club.

The lack of an out-and-out goalscorer has hindered the sides chances of winning games.

Why the difference between Europe and the Premier League?

Spurs finished fourth in the Champions League yet are 14th in the Premier League.

The difference is stark. Last season they won the UEFA Europa League yet finished 17th in the league but there would have been an expectation that they would improve this time around.

Thomas Frank will point to the injuries and that he feels as though it will take time to turn the club's fortunes around. However, they have struggled for consistency.

In the one-off games in Europe, Spurs have produced some good performances and successful results.

Previous success against City

In recent games against City, Spurs also have had some promising results such as a 4-0 win at the Etihad Stadium last season under Ange Postecoglou.

When the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium first opened, City did not enjoy any of their first five visits. They lost all five without scoring.

They have improved in recent years as they won back-to-back matches in 2024. This included a 1-0 FA Cup fourth-round win in January of that year, followed four months later by a 2-0 Premier League win, courtesy of two goals from Erling Haaland.

This will be remembered as the game in Postecoglou's first season where the club missed the opportunity to finish in the top four but the City win meant that Arsenal's chances of winning the league suffered.

Spurs will be hoping that they can put in a good performance against City.

As with Europe, they have been able to raise their levels for games against some of the tougher opponents, on paper, so they may be able to reach those levels against City and pick up some vital points.

Thomas Frank has reflected on the performance of Tottenham in the Champions League.

Despite the side’s struggles in the Premier League, the continental competition has been their relief. Spurs now sit in fifth place in the league phase of the European competition, and they can ensure automatic qualification for the Round of 16 if they defeat Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday.

“I'm very happy that the team and the Club we are in a position where, with a win tomorrow, we can finish top eight in the best club tournament in the world, and it's super, super competitive, as we know. So that we are very, very pleased with. Those results and some of those performances are also what we need to take going forward, of course, and build on that.

“Again, it's me, it's my job to look a little bit in the bigger perspective. You know, even that we haven't won as much as we want, it's very, very few things that need to go our way. You know, the small margins - keep doing the right thing, keep improving things you want to do, and getting quality players back, such as Dominic Solanke as I’ve talked about before.

“The mental and the physical load on players to produce every third and fourth game is very big. It's so big and it's more difficult to do that. And, of course, the bigger the competition, from Conference League to Europa League to Champions League, it's just better teams.

“That means you need to give more and that you need to have players in a squad that is, I would not say used to it but are learning over time to go out and produce no matter what. That's a big thing.

“We've studied [Eintracht Frankfurt] closely. They may not be in their best form, but it's a team, I think, done fantastic in the league last year. I still think they have done some fantastic results and played fantastic games this season. Recently, they just played 3-3 with Borussia Dortmund.

“They have very good players, and they have a clear identity in what they want to do. I expect a very difficult game, where they will come in a man-man pressure tomorrow. I think they are very good in the transitions. I expect a difficult game. I know they are in pain.

“They don't have anything to play for, but sometimes you can play free. I've been in this game long enough that usually you don't know what you're going to face [on Wednesday]. It, of course, needs to be thoughts on us, with big respect for Frankfurt. We know all their strengths, no doubt about that.”

After last week's disappointing defeat at home to West Ham, there would have been hope for a reaction. Particularly after Thomas Frank was boosted by a midweek UEFA Champions League victory against Borussia Dortmund.

Spurs took the lead through Micky Van de Ven but were pegged back by Axel Tuanzebe before Lyle Foster put Scott Parker's Burnley ahead. Burnley drew with Liverpool last week and have shown some fight in recent matches. A win would have been a big result for them.

In the 90th minute, Cristian Romero scored the equaliser as the game ended 2-2 and it is a point that helps neither side. Frank's team do not climb the table and Parker's side remain in the bottom three and with a significant gap to close.

Here are four takeaways from the game:

Defenders the scorers again

Romero and Van de Ven are centre backs yet they are Spurs' joint second highest scorers this season with 4 goals each.

Whilst it is helpful for Frank that his defenders are chipping in with goals, it is also part of another issue as they are one of his higher scorers. It suggests the forward players are not delivering and he cannot be relying on his centre back pairings to be the ones grabbing the goals.

Defensively, Van de Ven and Romero may not have had their best game but their goals - particularly Romero's - may have contributed towards keeping Frank in the job for another week.

However, it would likely be a more pleasing situation if the defenders were keeping clean sheets and the strikers were the ones scoring.

Wilson Odobert played well

One attacking player who put in a promising performance was Wilson Odobert as he was often looking to get forward and had several attempts on goal.

Spurs looked strongest in the first half and Odobert was at the centre of most of their good work. He has not always lived up to expectations since arriving at the club, so there will be a hope that this performance demonstrates that there is more to come from him.

Tough fixtures coming up

A draw with Burnley will go down as a disappointment. Avoiding defeat represents a positive but, whilst it was an improved performance from that against West Ham, it is not what is expected.

Next weekend, Frank's side play Manchester City. At times, in recent years, Spurs have managed some positive results and memorable wins against Pep Guardiola's side but it is a game where Spurs will go into it in poor form.

Despite their win in Europe, there is little doubt that Spurs are low on confidence and there will not be too many positives to take from the 2-2 draw.

The pressure remains on Thomas Frank

It is not a result or performance that will offer much reassurance and belief that Frank is the man to guide Spurs up the table.

It does not seem sustainable that these conversations will occur each week after every result but that is the pressure he is under at the moment. After the win against Dortmund, there would have been a hope that it would be the boost they needed to show that they can compete with the best and get results.

Time is what all managers want but Frank is still fighting to prove to supporters that he is the right man to take the club forward.

Their league position and lack of wins will become of an increasing concern when the teams below them are picking up points.

Next up is a Champions League game and they have the chance to progress automatically to the next phase, but even a comfortable win there would likely not offer the required confidence to suggest there will be an upturn in their Premier League form.