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Robert Vilahamn was pleased with our strong start in the first half but, ultimately, that went unrewarded as we suffered a 3-0 defeat at Manchester United in the Barclays Women’s Super League on Sunday.

The stats highlighted our positive start to the game at Leigh Sports Village – 54 per cent possession, eight shots to six in our favour and 16 touches in the hosts’ box – but we were dealt a sucker-punch in the closing stages of the first as Elisabeth Terland netted a brace in five minutes to hand United a two-goal cushion at the break.

And as we looked for another positive start after the break, we were dealt another blow as, eight minutes into the restart, the hosts were awarded a penalty and Maya Le Tissier converted calmly from the spot-kick. Despite the scoreline, we continued to push forward and create opportunities, Drew Spence being denied twice by Phallon Tullis-Joyce late on in the second half.

Although the result condemned us to back-to-back defeats in the WSL, Robert recognised the positive start to the game and the performance in general but, overall, he was disappointed with the final result.

“If you look at the result, it’s not fun to lose 3-0 away to Manchester United, but if you look at the performance and try to analyse the game, how we performed, then it’s one of the best starts to a game we have had, we played some really good football, the press was excellent as well and, in the first 30 minutes, we are dominated the game and created plenty of chances,” he told SPURSPLAY.

“Then, we need to look at how we defend the crosses better, defend the box better, because going in at the break 2-o down, after we had a great performance in the first 30-35 minutes, is not good. On the other hand, you can tell the players in the second half, despite them going 3-0 up, we continued to create chances, we had 17 or 18 shots, more possession, more corner kicks.

“If you look at the performance, how the players are brave, how they play out of the back, how they played the Tottenham way, there was some really good stuff in that game and I need to look at that, not only be emotional that we lost the game. However, we don’t want to lose 3-0, we want to find ways to compete but, performance-wise, there was some good stuff.”

Next up is a visit to last season’s WSL champions Chelsea next weekend and Robert was asked what we can learn from this game ahead of preparations this week.

“When we have lost a game, you need to look at what was good and where we need to improve,” he added. “I think there was a lot of stuff we can show that was good football but we need to look at how we can score with those chances and then, of course, how can we defend better when we lose the ball, so we need to look at the good and bad stuff and make sure we try to fix that during the week but we also need to keep going because that’s how you get better.”

Despite a strong showing in the first half at Leigh Sports Village, Manchester United pulled away to register a 3-0 win in the Barclays Women’s Super League on Sunday afternoon.

Phallon Tullis-Joyce was in superb form in the early stages to deny Martha Thomas and Drew Spence but, after a positive first 40 minutes in Manchester, the hosts took control of proceeding on the stroke of half-time as a quick-fire brace from Elisabeth Terland handed them a two-goal advantage.

Maya Le Tissier converted from the penalty spot, after Ashleigh Neville was penalised for a handball inside the box, to further extended United’s lead early in the second half to condemn us to defeat on the road for the first time this season.

Robert Vilahamn made three changes to the starting XI that faced Liverpool last weekend as Bethany England, Charlotte Grant and Olga Ahtinen all came in for their first start of the season, replacing Hayley Raso, Amanda Nilden and Maite Oroz who were all ruled out with injuries.

Although we had a number of players unavailable for the clash against United – six players sidelined - we started positively in Manchester and drew the first save out of Tullis-Joyce after just four minutes as Thomas, who linked-up well with England, shrugged off Le Tissier before getting a shot away from a tight angle, but the United shot-stopper was alert to block her effort. Spence was then inches from breaking the deadlock just minutes later as the midfielder sent a curling effort from the edge of the box towards top left corner, although she was denied by an out-stretched Tullis-Joyce once again.

Eveliina Summanen’s corners from the left were causing problems for United inside the box, but we failed to capitalise on the opportunities, while, at the other end, Becky Spencer was called into action to push over a powerful effort from Grace Clinton. However, arguably against the run of play after a strong showing from us, Elisabeth Terland connected sweetly to a Celin Bizet cross to send a ferocious volley past Spencer to break the deadlock. Four minutes into the seven added on, Terland grabbed her second of the game and for United as she headed home from close-range.

Then, eight minutes into the second half, United were awarded a penalty after Neville was penalised for handball inside the box. Le Tissier stepped up and calmly slotted into the bottom right corner, leaving us a big hill to climb. Substitute Matilda Vinberg was bright spark down the left-hand side when she was introduced on to the pitch, while Ella Toone fired over the bar following a quick counter-attack from the hosts.

Spencer produced an unusual save with her feet to deny Rachal Williams from the inside the box while, despite the scoreline against us, we still tried to push forward with Spence seeing two of her efforts saved by Tullis-Joyce once again. The midfielder raced on to a pass into the centre of the box before firing a low-driven shot towards goal, but the shot-stopper was down quickly to save. Our number 24 then tested Tullis-Joyce from distance but, once again, she managed to push her effort around the post to maintain a third consecutive clean sheet for the hosts and back-to-back defeats for us in the WSL.

Tottenham have travelled up to face Manchester United in the WSL this Sunday in what is a repeat matchup from last season’s FA Cup final.

That day, Manchester United pulled off a 4-0 win at Wembley, and this time around Spurs have worked to ensure that there isn’t a repeat.

After half an hour, the scores were locked at 0-0, with Tottenham dominating the play and seemingly content to let the home side play on the counter-attack.

Yet the clean sheet was only intact thanks to a simply brilliant save from Spurs ‘keeper Becky Spencer from a Grace Clinton effort.

Will Tottenham’s approach pay off in the long-term?

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We can confirm the starting line-ups and substitutes for today’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture at Manchester United (kick-off 12.30pm UK, live on Sky Sports).

Robert Vilahamn has made three changes to the starting XI that faced Liverpool last weekend in our most recent outing in the WSL.

Charlotte Grant comes in for Amanda Nilden, midfielder Olga Ahtinen replaces Maite Oroz, and captain Bethany England makes her first start in the WSL this season, coming in for Hayley Raso.

Our full line-up is as follows…

Spencer, Grant, Bartrip, Hunt, Neville, Summanen, Athinen, Spence, Naz, Thomas, England.

Substitutes: Talbert, Heeps, Bühler, Csiki, Vinberg, Dennis, Gunning-Williams.

Here's how the hosts line-up...

Tullis-Joyce, Janssen, Le Tissier, Turner, George, Naalsund, Clinton, Toone, Bizet, Galton, Terland.

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We have certainly enjoyed finding the back of the net in the opening games of our Barclays Women’s Super League campaign, with the aim of continuing our scoring run when we travel to Manchester United on Sunday afternoon (12.30pm kick-off, live on Sky Sports).

The eight goals we have netted in our first three WSL games against Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Liverpool is the most we have scored at this stage compared to our last five campaigns in England’s top flight.

Each of our eight WSL goals have also been scored by a different player – Hayley Raso, Jess Naz, Drew Spence, Olga Ahtinen, Eveliina Summanen, Bethany England, Clare Hunt plus a Taylor Hinds own goal – only Chelsea in the 2020/21 campaign saw their opening nine goals netted by different sources.

We have also scored two or more goals in four consecutive WSL games for the first time since being promoted back in 2019 – a 3-1 win over West Ham, a 4-0 win over Palace, a 2-2 draw with Villa and a 3-2 defeat to Liverpool.

Meanwhile, we travel to Leigh Sports Village having not lost in our last four away games in the WSL (one win and three draws), although the previous three fixtures on the road ended as a 2-2 draw – including the stalemate at United back in April, 2024.

Our previous meeting with United

Women’s Academy Technical Coaching Manager Nick Hardy and midfielder Grace Breen are aiming for a strong finish to phase one of the Professional Game Academy (PGA) League.

Our Women’s Under-21face Bristol City on Sunday (13 October) before concluding their league campaign with a visit from Southampton next Wednesday (16 October) with the Northern and Southern divisions then being split into two groups for phase two of the competition.

The top four from each section will be placed into Division One while the rest of the sides will be together in Division Two, with Hardy’s side needing a maximum of six points from the next two games to have a chance to secure their place in Division One.

Building preparations for the next two games, the Under-21s faced Eastern Region Women’s Football League side AFC Dunstable on Wednesday evening as goals from Mia Endacott, Rania Oukriss and Eloise Hall secured a 3-1 victory at Theobalds Lane, Cheshunt Football Club.

Reflecting on the win, Nick highlighted the importance of testing his players against senior opposition and building momentum ahead of our return to the PGA League.

“It was a good opportunity to make the most of not having a so-called competitive fixture and we were really selective in the opposition because facing a senior side presents a lot of different challenges; technically, tactically and physically,” he said.

“It was a chance for the girls to try and showcase the style we are embedding against a team that play competitive football week in, week out. I thought it was a really good level for us and I was really pleased with how the girls presented themselves and, ultimately, allowed us to get game time for a lot of bodies over the 90 minutes. All in all, a purposeful evening but also a pleasing one with the outcome of the scoreline.

Looking ahead to the next two games, he added: “It’s an interesting scenario for the players to have a three-game week. It’s challenging the girls with different types of games, different environments and just giving them the platform to finish the current campaign as strong as we can before heading into the international break.”

Grace, who has been a long servant in the academy, stepped up from the Under-16s to the Under-21s this season and the midfielder wants to use the strong display against Dunstable as a platform for the upcoming two games.

“It was a positive evening for us,” she said. “To face a team that don’t really, technically and tactically, match up with us was a good challenge to compete physically but also help us for our next two games, a big two games, as we need to win both if we want to be playing some good football over the coming months, so it was a good test.

“As a team, we thrive on challenging games and the tougher battles, so it was good to have a game here when we are in control for the 90 minutes, passing the ball around and getting used to it, as we will have different obstacles over the next two games, they will be more on the technical and tactical side, rather than the combative and physical side."

Asked on how the season has gone so far, she replied: “There has definitely been ups and downs with some games obviously being better than others, but we are all developing and learning so nothing will ever be consistent as we want it to be. However, we have plenty time as a team to learn, get closer and be more together, but the first couple of months have been really good.”

We are back on the road on Sunday afternoon to face Manchester United (12.30pm UK, live on Sky Sports) in the Barclays Women’s Super League.

Marc Skinner’s side head into the encounter at Leigh Sports Village having won their opening two games of the WSL campaign against West Ham United (3-0) and Everton (1-0), while beating Liverpool in the first fixture of the Women's League Cup group phase.

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Ahead of our trip to Manchester this weekend, we had a chat with journalist Dan Pentland to get a lowdown on United…

How would you reflect on the start of the season after two wins out of two?

Dan: “It has been something of a routine start for United. Games at home to West Ham and away at Everton will have been fixtures that they will have expected to win. Two wins, four goals scored and none conceded represents a solid start for The Red Devils and they now have a base to grow from as the season gathers pace. Skinner’s side have converted almost half of their shots on target so far and that is something which will have pleased the United boss.

“There are no easy games in the WSL but United have some tough fixtures coming up. Games against Spurs, Brighton & Hove Albion, Arsenal and Aston Villa will be competitive and we are about to learn much more about their potential this season.”

Who are the key players to look out for this weekend?

Dan: “After making eight direct goal contributions in 20 Barclays Women’s Super League outings for Spurs last season, the club are only too aware of the danger that Grace Clinton poses wearing the red of United this weekend. Clinton has netted in both league matches for The Red Devils this season and she looks set for another impressive campaign.

“Attacker Ella Toone has also impressed in the opening weeks of the new campaign while club captain Maya Le Tissier has taken to her new leadership role well. There is a lot of excitement surrounding goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce with the American finally getting the opportunity to claim the number one jersey following former keeper Mary Earps’ summer departure.

“'Young and hungry’ is what boss Skinner has labelled his new-look side this season. With midfielder Clinton returning from her loan spell at Spurs and summer additions such as Anna Sandberg, Simi Awujo, Celin Bizet and Elisabeth Terland having been made, there is an exciting youthfulness about United this year.”

Since being appointed in July, 2021, how has Marc Skinner helped the development of Man Utd in the WSL?

Dan: “Skinner has divided opinion amongst the fanbase in recent times but the bottom line is that he has delivered the club’s first major domestic trophy in the form of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, has taken the club into Europe for the very first time and so nearly, guided them to an unexpected Barclays Women’s Super League title.

“The 41-year-old is one of the most passionate coaches in the game, he wears his heart on his sleeve and is hungry for more success for United. Skinner was the subject of some unfair criticism at times last season, he was almost a victim of his own success but nobody can question his intentions; he is determined to push the club on again this season whilst playing an attractive style of football.

“Skinner guided United to a fourth-place finish in the WSL in his first season with the club while they were unexpected runners-up the following year. Last season saw them slip to fifth place, but it was always going to be tough to replicate the successes of 2022/2023.

“The team has been in a bit of a transition period with long-serving players leaving and new blood coming in and that process takes time to progress. Skinner has got this side to overachieve before, there is no reason why he won’t do it again whilst delivering an attractive brand of attacking football.”

What are the expectations for this campaign?

Dan: “Given the club’s drop to fifth place in the WSL last season, there is an expectancy to challenge for European qualification again this term. That won’t be easy given the amount of investment and competition for places across the league. United arguably lost too many games last season and they need to turn some of those losses into draws and draws into wins.

“Some fans will want instant success from their new-look team, however, The Red Devils will need time. They’ve got a bit more depth this season, more young talent at their disposal but they may have to suffer one or two tough moments alongside their successes which is all part of the growth process.

“United don’t have a given right to finish in the top three but if they do achieve that goal, they will have had a wonderful season. Progression in both performances and results has to be the initial target and then see where that takes them. Further domestic cup success will also be a serious aim.”

Last time out against United

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Tottenham Hotspur head coach Robert Vilahamn says that he is staying present ahead of his side’s trip to Manchester United.

The Lilywhites are set to take on a Manchester United side that could contain former loanee Grace Clinton and forward Celin Bizet Ildhusøy, a player that spent two seasons with Spurs before opting for a move to the North West over the summer.

When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Spurs boss Vilahamn said that there are no extra incentives to beat Manchester United off the back of Bizet’s move whilst commenting that his focus is on the present.

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“No, not at all to be honest,” Vilahamn said when asked about additional incentives. “I’m trying to stay present.

“Last season, I loved working with Celin, we had a really good relationship and she was performing very well. She wanted to leave and go to another club, it’s a reset and she’s a Manchester United player.

“I respect her because she’s still a really good player. If we win on Sunday, I won’t say that she picked the wrong team. She picked the right team because she wanted to be there and that’s fine, I have enormous respect for her.

“I want to win for our fans, for our squad and make sure we compete with Manchester United. I still like Grace and Celin a lot.”

Vilahamn went on to praise former loanee Clinton whilst adding that Spurs have a plan to contain her this weekend.

He said “Grace is an amazing person and an amazing player. We had a good relationship last season and I feel like she has taken her form into this season, she has performed very well for them, scored goals in both games and she is shining. It’s great for her.

“This game is going to be tough for us because we are going to play against her but on the other hand, we play against good players every week. We will have a strategy on how we are going to play and we know her well, so perhaps, we know how to stop her. She’s a very good player.”

Spurs come up against an in-form Manchester United side that have won all of their games so far without conceding. Vilahamn says that his side must be clinical with their chances.

He said “Obviously, they have started very well with two clean sheets and two wins. We know that they are very strong defensively and Marc [Skinner] has worked with them for a few years now, so they have a good structure and a good balance.

“We are in good goalscoring form, we have scored eight goals in the first three games. We have good attacking patterns and some really good players. We want to play really good football and create chances but the other thing will be to use the moment when we win the ball to counter attack as well. We have some really quick players that will be useful in this game.

“We know we are playing a really strong team away, we will need to be really sharp in the chances that we get but we scored two goals there last year, so we have a good record.”

Tottenham Hotspur’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture at Manchester United kicks-off at 12.30pm on Sunday afternoon.

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Robert Vilahamn spoke to the media at Hotspur Way on Thursday ahead of our Barclays Women’s Super League clash against Manchester United at Leigh Sports Village on Sunday (12.30pm UK).

Here’s what he had to say…

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Team news

First up, Robert was asked about the latest team news…

Robert: “We still have Amy [James-Turner], Shuang [Wang] and Ella [Morris] who are not back in the squad yet. We then have a few question marks, but we'll have to wait and see for Sunday on a few other players. Other than that, everyone should be able to play.”

On Man Utd

Robert was asked on how he plans to break down a United side that have yet to concede in their opening two games…

Robert: “They have started very well with two clean sheets and two wins. We played them in our final pre-season game before the league started and we know they are very strong defensively and Marc [Skinner] has worked with them for a few years now. They have a good structure and a good balance, but one thing is that we are in quite good form and scoring goals. We have scored eight goals in the past three games and we have good attacking patterns, we have some really good players so, in one way, we want to make sure we play really good football and create chances. We have some quick players that can be useful in this game, but we know they're going to play a really strong team. So, obviously, we need to be very sharp in all the chances we get.

The follow up question was regarding United’s postponed fixture against Chelsea, ‘do you expect Man Utd to be well rested and fresher, or a sharpness that could help your side?’

Robert: “If they get an extra weekend off, then they’re going to use that to train very well and have good self-confidence, it's going to be good for them. For us, we come from a tough fight, we obviously lost a game, but we came away from a really good fight. We want to come back and try to win this game, so we're going to use that for our energy and be prepared. We're going to be really fit for this game, it's going to be a good game. We cannot blame the schedule.”

Clare Hunt

Robert was then asked, “What are your thoughts on how Clare Hunt has become a valuable asset she has become to this squad in such a short space of time?’

Robert: “Trying to adapt to this league is not the easiest. She obviously a really good player, playing a lot of games for the national team, but to adapt to this league and to manage this league, it's been impressive how she does that, out of possession especially and how she deals with set-pieces, she's a very good footballer to dictate the game. But then you still see some mistakes she's doing, back and forth with the tempo of the play in this league, so it's a journey for her to adapt, but I think in the long run, she will be one of the best centre-backs in this league because she's so good in and out of position. She's strong to handle the big strikers in this league as well, it has been a great first month with her but also even more potential. The last thing is her leadership, she's only 25 years old, but she she's speaking and acting like she's 35.”

Bouncing back from Liverpool game

Robert was asked about the motivation in his squad to bounce back from last weekend’s defeat to Liverpool…

Robert: “Liverpool are one of the best teams in the league, they finished in fourth-place last season. They’re so difficult to play against is because they are really aggressive, they press very well and they’re quite straight forward with how they play. So, if you make a mistake or anything like that, they are there directly and that's tough. I feel like the first half was tough, but then we found a way to get back in the game and I feel like we actually dominated the second half in a good way. We created chances, we scored two goals, but then they scored to make it 2-1 and, in the last minute, they got a penalty to make it 3-2. Obviously that's really hard for us to have a good half but to still lose the game in the last minute. The players have worked hard and trained very well, so we are prepared.”

Reflecting on the first three games

Robert was posed with the question, ‘Where do you feel you are currently for where you want your team to be at the minute?’

Robert: “If you look at the three games, we have scored eight goals and that's a good number to get. I feel like how we have conceded goals has been quite easy so, if we can remove them and keep scoring goals, that will look good. But the other thing, if you look at performances, we haven't dictated the games and actually dictate it for a long time, especially against Aston Villa and in the first half against Liverpool. We need to take steps on how to be better in those three halves because we should create more chances, we should have the ball more and make sure we dictate the game. Crystal Palace was a good game, the second half of Liverpool was a good game so we just need to find ways to dominate the games more.

“We're not there yet, but we're taking steps. We score more goals, we create many goal chances, perhaps we didn't convert a lot of those chances, but when you look at the opportunities against Liverpool, we have five or six in the second half where I feel like that could have been a goal if we were a little sharper in those finishing moments. I'm not stressed about that. It's more about the toughness of this league, it’s so competitive so you cannot expect us now to win 3-0 every game because it's too tough right now. We need to learn how to take every new game as it is and find a way to win, and still do the game model and play the Tottenham way at the same time – that’s the balance. We are in a good spot, but we have a few really tough games coming up so we also need to focus on getting points, but also make sure we develop our game.”

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