Islington Tribune

Defender Leah Williamson can recall a time when Tottenham plied their trade in the lower divisions [Pedro Porru/SPP]

THE Emirates is set for another blockbuster women’s match on Sunday – and Arsenal co-captain Leah Williamson is more than happy that the visitors this time are near neighbours Spurs.

A senior Arsenal player for over a decade, the 27-year-old defender can recall a time when Tottenham plied their trade in the lower divisions. But since the Lilywhites’ promotion into the Women’s Super League in 2019, the north London derby has become a regular fixture.

And in an exclusive interview with the New Journal to coincide with the launch of a new cervical cancer public health campaign (see next week), Williamson spoke of Tottenham’s presence in the top-flight as a win-win for everyone.

“I think it’s really important that we have those rivalries,” she said. “And that fixture, two teams that are so close together in north London, it’s a missed opportunity if it’s not there.

“So I’m glad that they have joined the top-flight and they are up there now, because they should be, especially with the resources that they have.”

Spurs have never finished higher than fifth since joining the WSL, while Arsenal have always been in the top three in that time.

The red half of north London can also claim the bragging rights when it comes to derby days – Arsenal are unbeaten in all but one of their 10 league encounters so far.

Of those, two stand out for Williamson. Firstly, their maiden meeting in November 2019 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in front of a then record crowd of 38,262; secondly, their sold-out derby at the Emirates last March.

“The first one we played that I felt this is a real fixture now that we can be excited for every year and fans can get excited for every year was just before Covid when we played at their stadium,” she said.

“There are moments where, unfortunately in women’s football, you actually feel, ‘Oh wow, I am a professional and this is a real thing,’ and that was one of them.

“And last year [at the Emirates] it made me proud because I thought, that’s our responsibility to the game as well, to do that and get those people in the stadium to watch us.”

A Gunner since the age of eight and a lifelong fan of the club, the calm and collected centre-back, who can also play in midfield, shot to national prominence in 2022 when she captained England to Euro glory.

She has suffered a serious knee injury and other niggles since then, but has featured in 10 of Arsenal’s 13 league outings this term and is in the newly-announced England squad for upcoming international games against Portugal and Spain.

Domestic duties prevail this weekend, though, and after a disappointing last-gasp League Cup semi-final defeat at the hands of Manchester City, Arsenal got back on track last Sunday with a 2-0 win over London City Lionesses to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals.

And Williamson insists that the team “want to finish strongly” against Tottenham in front of what is expected to be a bumper Emirates crowd.

“We have a lot of work to do in the league still, so you’ll see as together a team as you’ve seen in the last couple of games, that won’t change, but hopefully [it will be] a ruthless and clinical version of ourselves!”

Meanwhile, Williamson will be joined in the England squad for the upcoming internationals by Arsenal teammates Lotte Wubben-Moy, Beth Mead, and Alessia Russo, but there was no place for forward Chloe Kelly, who joined the Gunners on loan from Manchester City earlier this month.

Tottenham striker Jess Naz was also selected by Lionesses manager Sarina Wiegman.

Premier League

BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION 3 (Minteh 48, Rutter 58, Welbeck 66)

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 2 (Johnson 23, Maddison 37)

TOTTENHAM slipped up on the South Coast today (Sunday) after squandering a two-goal lead against Brighton – leaving manager Ange Postecoglou fuming at his players, calling the second half, three-goal fold the worst display he has seen since he took the job last summer.

First half efforts from Brennan Johnson – his sixth in six games – and James Maddison gave Spurs a hefty half-time advantage. It looked like there could only be one winner after a dominant showing – but Brighton somehow came out a different proposition after the break, and goals by Yankuba Minteh, Georginio Rutter and Danny Welbeck turned the game on its head.

Speaking after the game, a shell-shocked Postecoglou said: “Disappointed, frustrated and absolutely gutted with that. The worst defeat since I’ve been here. An unacceptable second half.”

The Tottenham boss accused his players of getting ahead of themselves after recording five wins on the bounce. He added: “We were nowhere near where we should be. We got carried away with how we were going.”

Postecoglou also expressed concern over how easily Brighton saw out the game as his stunned side failed to respond. He continued: “We kind of accepted our fate and it is hard to understand as we’ve not done that while I’ve been here. We paid the price. The problem is when you are travelling along too smoothly, football will trip you up if you get too far ahead of yourself.”

Postecoglou could have been forgiven for walking into the dressing room at half-time feeling like a champ after seeing Spurs ease into a 2-0 lead. But it went from a sublime first 45 minutes to a ridiculous second half.

Brighton’s first goal on 48 minutes seemed to spread an unnecessary sense of trepidation through the away ranks. Livewire Kaoru Mitoma caused Tottenham issues in the first half without his teammates following suit. In the second period, however, the winger upped his game still further, and with Johnson offering little in defensive support to Pedro Porro, the Seagulls made hay down the Spurs right almost every time they got the ball out wide.

On the opposite flank Destiny Udogie looked uncharacteristically loose on the ball, and it was his loss of bearings that aided Brighton’s bid to battle back and take all three points.

Spurs began well. Within the opening minute, Timo Werner had broken clear and his cross was just a fraction too far ahead for Johnson.

Dejan Kulusevski looked eager and saw a shot deflected over the bar, while Maddison thought he had opened the scoring when a Werner header struck him and dribbled in. The linesman called rightfully with Porro offside in the build-up.

But the goal was coming, and on 23 minutes Johnson showed how much confidence he has at the moment with a dead eye finish following a slick pass from Dominic Solanke.

Tottenham doubled their lead on 37. Werner got free again and played the easy pass for Maddison. The midfielder set his sights and curled a low shot into the bottom corner, under Bart Verbruggen’s despairing dive.

It was all Tottenham deserved – but how they would later rue the many missed chances they created. Whatever was said at half-time in the home dressing room, the Seagulls came out fighting and got an early goal back via a Spurs mix-up. A cross from the left evaded Micky van de Ven and Udogie got himself in a horrible tangle, allowing Minteh to finish low.

Brighton got the scent of blood in their nostrils and suddenly Tottenham’s slick passes were being snapped up by the team in blue and white stripes.

Guglielmo Vicario had been forced to stop two efforts before Rutter steamed through and equalised just before the hour mark.

Spurs had done nothing to suggest they could rediscover their first half levels, and their goal looked troubled. Welbeck’s winner came from an unmarked header centrally after Rutter had got the better of Rodrigo Bentancur and managed somehow to lift a cross over his challenge.

Even with 20 minutes left to conjure up a response, Spurs looked like they had run out of ideas and wanted the referee to put them out of their misery. A late Udogie effort was easily gathered, otherwise Spurs simply offered nothing in the opponents half.

The full-time whistle blew, and Tottenham’s collapse was pronounced: for a side packed with experienced heads, the rapid demise and inability to rouse themselves shows a frailty that Postecoglou’s teams attractive spells can’t mask.

Brighton & Hove Albion: Verbruggen, Veltman, Dunk, Webster (Julio, 9), Kadioglu (Estupinan, 46), Baleba (Wieffer, 74), Hinshelwood, Minteh (Gruda, 87), Rutter (Enciso, 73), Mitoma, Welbeck

Substitutes not used: Steele, Lamptey, Ayari, Ferguson

THERE are three posters on the walls of Camden Town underground station which I am finding aggravating.

First off, no matter how many times you show me a poster for The Play That Goes Wrong, I’m not going to buy a ticket.

Secondly, north London does not need to see Erling Haaland promoting sportswear with the catchline: Winning is a habit.

Let’s see if that’s the case when Manchester City’s lawyers have to explain away 115 charges of financial doping during that ugly period when a club nobody cared about with no trophies became a club nobody cared about with all of the trophies.

And finally, have you seen the one which reads: Destination Tottenham?

Amid all the garish fairground colours, the text asks us to understand that the newish Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is more than a football ground – it’s four attractions in one!

This theme park offers go-karting fun – as if go-karting has ever been fun to anybody other than an awful, cackling best man – and the chance to climb on top of the roof, like even duller stag parties do at the Millenium Dome each Saturday for the ‘daytime activity’.

The general idea of the promo is that here is a place where you can have fun… even if, ahem, the football can be a bit rubbish.

The ad push seems to be that you can forget all that Premier League nonsense, and come and have a fun day out at Tottenham regardless.

This is where I can come in and maybe offer a little help and money-saving advice to their marketing squad.

Lads, relax! You’re doing great!

You don’t need go-karts, abseiling, cheese rooms or even Beyoncé – you’ve already made ‘Spurs away’ a lovely experience for us all. Thank you!

In fact, our annual trip up the once rocky road has become a stress-free, relaxing jaunt which may finally provide an answer to the age old question: What’s your perfect Sunday?

It is so generous that instead of creating a Spurs fortress where everything may have seemed hostile, your wonderful operation has created a no hassle trip in which we can watch Arsenal beat Tottenham in comfort every season – and then toast the success with your quick lager delivery machine. That’s five stars on Trip Adviser!

Destination Tottenham? Yes please, we’ll be sure to call in again.

Timo Werner, Cristian Romero and Heung-Min Son all on target as Tottenham win 3-1 to revive their race for Champions League football