Arsenal 1-0 Tottenham: Player ratings as Alessio Russo settles derby in front of record crowd

FROM EMIRATES STADIUM - Alessia Russo scored the only goal of the game as Arsenal boosted their Women's Super League title hopes with a 1-0 win over Tottenham in the north London derby on Sunday in front of a sell-out Emirates Stadium crowd.

Searching for revenge after Spurs earned their first ever derby victory in the reverse fixture, the Gunners were wasteful during a frustrating first half before a half-time reset helped Russo nick the opener just four minutes into the second half.

The 60,050 fans in attendance helped Arsenal set a new WSL attendance record, surpassing the 59,042 supporters who watched the 3-1 success over Man Utd in mid-February.

Jonas Eidevall's side have now won their last seven consecutive WSL home games, the first time they have do so in the competition, and remain just three points behind leaders Manchester City in their search for a first league title since 2019.

How the game unfolded

It was a story of squandered chances in the first half for Arsenal. Despite dominating in all areas with 63% possession, nine shots and ten corners, it was a wasteful start for the Gunners.

Tottenham had their first real chance 24 minutes in as Jessica Naz, who found plenty of joy using her pace on the break, forced goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger to tip her lofted shot onto the crossbar and out of harms way.

Caitlin Foord, who only returned from Australia a few days ago, was proving to be Arsenal's biggest attacking threat with her tenacity and astute passing causing problems for Tottenham's defence. However, a lack of clinical finishing left the winger frustrated.

Having spent much of her career as a centre-forward before moving to the wing, it's no surprise Beth Mead is renowned as one of Arsenal's and the WSL's most instinctive finishers. However, she struggled to produce the magic Gunners fans are accustomed to seeing during the first half.

The England international did play a pivotal role in what turned out to be the winning goal.

Whatever was said at half-time clearly paid off as a diagonal pass from skipper Kim Little expertly picked out Mead, who failed to get her shot away. However, compatriot Russo was there to bury the rebound and hand Arsenal the lead just four minutes into the second half.

Tottenham struggled to find a way back into the game as Arsenal kept their visitors on the back foot while maintaining their one-goal cushion to see out a crucial win.

Arsenal player ratings (4-2-3-1)

GK: Manuela Zinsberger - 6/10 - Had little to do but kept a clean sheet and was a confident presence.

RB: Katie McCabe - 7/10 - Tenacious and ambitious at the back but lacked some end product going forward.

CB: Laia Codina - 6/10 - Struggled while tracking back against the pace of Spurs' press and looked a little rocky. Grew into the game before being taken off.

CB: Lotte Wubben-Moy - 8/10 - Instinctive and controlled, leading the backline with aplomb.

LB: Steph Catley - 7/10 - Tenacious in possession and on the break. Linked up incredibly well with compatriot Foord to cause Spurs plenty of issues.

CM: Lia Walti - 8/10 - Dominated midfield and orchestrated the tempo throughout. Arsenal would have been in big trouble if not for the Swiss captain's vital interventions.

CM: Victoria Pelova - 7/10 - Was carrying a knock and operated a little more gingerly as a result, but the Dutch international was still impressive.

RW: Beth Mead - 7/10 - Unable to conjure up any instinctive magic fans have become accustomed to, being let down by a lack of clinical finishing. Still dominated the right flank and helped set up the winner.

AM: Kim Little - 8/10 - The stalwart leader kept Arsenal one step ahead throughout proceedings with her accurate passing and astute knowledge of the game.

LW: Caitlin Foord - 8/10 - Proved to be Arsenal's most comprehensive attacking threat yet lacked a controlled end product to match her flurry of chances.

ST: Alessia Russo - 7/10 - Found herself in the right place at the right time to net the winner but also missed several chances a striker of her calibre should have buried.

Substitutes

SUB: Kyra Cooney-Cross (72' for Pelova) - 7/10

SUB: Stina Blackstenius (72' for Russo) - 7/10

SUB: Leah Williamson (72' for Codina) - 7/10

SUB: Frida Maanum (84' for Foord) - 6/10

Unused subs: Naomi Williams (GK), Sarah Bouhaddi (GK), Vivienne Lia, Madison Earl, Katie Reid.

Manager

Jonas Eidevall - 7/10 - Had to deal with a threadbare matchday squad but still managed to put out a team strong enough to topple Spurs.

Tottenham player ratings (4-4-2)

GK: Becky Spencer - 6/10 - Made some impeccable saves but was denied a clean sheet.

RB: Ashleigh Neville - 7/10 - Caused Foord problems on the wing but struggled against Catley on the overlap.

CB: Amy James-Turner - 6/10 - Arsenal found it too easy to split the defenders, often leaving the centre-back in no man's land.

CB: Molly Bartrip - 6/10 - Led the defence with class but was drawn out of position too easily, leaving Spencer stranded as the last line of defence.

LB: Amanda Nilden - 6/10 - Struggled against Mead's relentlessness but made instinctive tackles to keep Spurs in with a chance of an equaliser.

RM: Celin Bizet - 7/10 - The 4-4-2 formation pushed the Norwegian out on the flank, making her far less impactful than when she operates more centrally. Still created a couple of chances.

CM: Kit Graham - 6/10 - Made some risky tackles in midfield and struggled for any control against Little and Pelova.

CM: Eveliina Summanen - 6/10 - Struggled in the face of Arsenal's midfield dominance but provided another attacking outlet, even though Spurs struggled to use it effectively.

LM: Grace Clinton - 7/10 - Tenacious and controlled, Clinton created overloads that Arsenal struggled to deal with. However, she was unable to turn her creations into goalscoring opportunities.

ST: Jessica Naz - 8/10 - Used her pace to good effect and hit the woodwork with a shot Zinsberger tipped onto the post. Put in the best performance for the visitors.

ST: Martha Thomas - 7/10 - Couldn't make the most of her chances but proved effective in the defensive third as Spurs tried to stay in the game.

Substitutes

SUB: Ramona Petzelberger (60' for Neville) - 6/10

SUB: Olga Ahtinen (60' for Graham ) - 6/10

SUB: Drew Spence (60' for Naz) - 7/10

SUB: Bethany England (69' for Thomas) - 7/10

SUB: Matilda Vinberg (75' for Bizet) - N/A

Unused subs: Barbora Votikova (GK), Charlotte Grant, Luana Buhler, Shuang Wang.

Manager

Robert Vilahamn - 5/10 - The 4-4-2 system has not been effective for the Swede so far, yet he opted for the formation again, leaving too much space for Arsenal to exploit.

Player of the match: Kim Little (Arsenal)

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