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Frank Lampard spoke about a 3-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur for Coventry City.

After four successive Premier League losses, the Sky Blues beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 at the City Ground and Newcastle United 4-1 at the CBS Arena.

They hoped to pull themselves further clear of the relegation zone with another positive result in North London, but that task would not be fulfilled.

Maddison strike and Rudoni reply

Spurs went into the lead with a goal for James Maddison against his former club as he curled the ball into the net from the top of the box, but Jack Rudoni levelled for the visitors in the 49th minute.

‘3-1 feels nasty at the end’

Omar Marmoush and Ben Davies responded to that equaliser and eventually earned a 3-1 victory for Spurs. But Lampard still looked for positives from the performance as Coventry continue to fight.

"Very pleased with the performance. We were in the game to say the least. Two outstanding goals for them, the second was questionable because the arm up in the face but quality finish.

"I am proud of the performance. 3-1 feels nasty at the end because of the last goal. We created some good moments. We wanted to start well as they start well in every game, they have played here but haven't got what they deserved.

"The feeling and flow of the game we were brave and getting people up on their top line. Individuals were showing their quality with Jack Rudoni and Brandon Thomas-Asante - eight of the boys played in the Championship last year and now they have shown they have grown.

"I don't like the fixture list game; they are all hard. Are we happy? We will always want more; we feel there's a couple more points we felt we could have had."

James Maddison was joyful to have recovered from his ACL injury and start again for Tottenham.

The attacking midfielder is the key creative spark of the side, but his playing time has been disrupted for several seasons because of injuries.

Having featured from the bench in the latter stages of the 2025/26 campaign, he finally was given a spot in the starting eleven from the get-go on Monday.

Maddison's long road back

He marked the moment with the opening goal of the game against Coventry City, struggling to hold in his happiness against his old club after finding the back of the net. Goals from Omar Marmoush and Ben Davies then paved the path towards a 3-1 victory and a memorable evening for Maddison.

“I hoped [to start]. I spoke to the gaffer about this week and feeling like the right moment for me to go back into the starting 11 after a stop-start, start to the season. I wanted to show my quality and what the team's missed in the last 18 months since my last start. The gaffer asked me to play and said he wanted to enjoy watching me from the side. Hopefully I did that. Getting the goal is always nice.

“[The goal was] just a bit blurry. They're the ones you dream of. Recovering from the ACL last year, those dark days. There the ones you dream of, those goals. Always the light at the tunnel for you.

“And for Dejan Kulusevski I felt proud for him because I knew exactly how he felt. Those moments and those goals they make it all worth it.

Thriving between the lines

“I operate best in the pockets on the outside of the lines. I was popping up on the left, right and centrally. And that's where I'm at my best. Between the lines and being able to pick up the pockets of space and that's where the goal came from."

After a 6-1 away win over Tottenham Hotspur at Brisbane Road, Spain and London City defender Jana Fernandez said she couldn't be happier.

"I think we made a statement. We just have to keep pushing. This [season] is so long, we can't say anything now, but of course we are going to push to be first," she said. "We want the WSL title."

Lionesses end Spurs' unbeaten run

London City ended Tottenham's unbeaten WSL run, and the three points move them into the top three.

Fernandez said part of the game plan was to make Spurs uncomfortable on the ball and take their chances, which is exactly what they did.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game. Tottenham have been amazing through the season, so we had a lot of respect coming into the game," she said. "That's why I think we put in the performance we did."

Arques and Putellas pull the strings

She had particular praise for teammates Daniela Arques and Alexia Putellas, who pulled the strings together in midfield.

She said: "When you have two players that understand each other so good, they speak the same language which also helps. They understand the spaces and they understand football in a way that nobody else does."

It was the connections between the whole team that allowed them to have such a dominant performance.

"Everybody was having the best games of their lives. You can tell by the result. This is what we want to become, this is what we're trying to build, so we go from here."

Fernandez said that the win today will help push London City to reach the top.

"We have to go for more. We don't have to stop now. Some time away from the club will help to come back even stronger."

Alexia Putellas scored a double in a statement win over London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, helping London City take a place in the WSL's top three.

The two-time Ballon d'Or winner opened the scoring from a rebound in the third minute, then doubled her tally in the 34th minute with a rocket from the edge of the box.

Kadidiatou Diani scored her first goals for London City, while Danielle van de Donk added to her tally after setting up Putellas' second.

Tottenham fought back through top scorer Victoria Pelova, but it wasn't enough to topple their London neighbours.

Diani made it hurt when she capitalised on a mistake by Lize Kop at the back in the 74th minute, calmly walking the ball over the line for London City's fifth.

Delphine Cascarino made it six in the fourth minute of injury time to round off London City Lionesses' dominant display in North London.

As it happened

The first goal came in the third minute, when Putellas pounced on the rebound from Grace Geyoro's shot from just outside the box. Spurs keeper and Netherlands international Lize Kop managed to push away Geyoro's long-range effort, but it fell straight into the path of the two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas, who made no mistake in front of goal.

Spurs struggled to hold onto possession as London City fought for every loose ball. Diani slid the ball into the back of the net from a whipped cross by Lucia Corrales in the 22nd minute to double the visitors' lead.

It felt too easy for the away side as Putellas hammered in her second 12 minutes later, after Danielle Van de Donk controlled the corner and squared it to her at the back of the box.

Van de Donk turned from provider to goalscorer when she swung in Diani's ball to claim London City's fourth in the 52nd minute.

Spurs had a brief respite when Victoria Pelova struck back only a minute later, which lifted their spirits. They created two close chances in the next ten minutes, with Cathinka Tandberg diving to meet Olivia Holdt's cross which fell just outside the goal.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Martin Ho said that his team were not at the same level as London City Lionesses, a "world class squad that is physically very powerful."

He said: "If you want to compete at that level you need more, in terms of higher quality, higher output, higher energy."

"[London City] will be up there with the other teams competing for that title, 100 percent, we're just not at that level yet."

Two-time Ballon D'or winner Alexia Putellas bagged two goals in the first half, and the 6-1 result at full time was a ruthless end to Spurs' unbeaten streak in the WSL.

Ho said: "The reality is there's an expectation to win, but you also need to understand the level. You're playing against ballon d'or winner and world class players who have won everything. There's a gap between the quality in the teams and we have to accept that."

How does the Tottenham manager expect to close that gap?

"Recruiting bigger players and ballon d'or winners, but you have to get to that point. London City have financially thrown at it, we want to do it more sustainably and I think we're going to build a very good team."

Ho was disappointed with his team's physicality, decision-making and accuracy with the ball.

"I thought at times we possessed the ball well and we got into good positions but we lacked that personality and confidence in front of goal," he said. "Defensively we didn't do enough, and you don't deserve to win if you don't do enough in those situations."

"We showed no character with the ball or personality in the first half. We didn't want to play forward, we didn't want to be brave, we didn't take the initiative."

Tottenham pulled one back in the second half as Victoria Pelova found Julie Blakstad's ball in the box and sent it bulging in the corner of the net.

"Really pleased to get a goal but it doesn't make a difference today," said Ho.

"We had some moments, but you have to be ruthless when you get those chances and we weren't," he added.

He praised Signe Gaupset for being good on the ball and having the courage to take the initiative to pull the game with her, but he said positive moments from individuals could not make up for the collective.

"You can't rely on a young player to take you through a game in the WSL."

Spurs face Arsenal and Chelsea in the WSL after the international break.

Ho said: "We need to forget this game quickly because when we come back we're going to have two very big ones."

"It's a big learning curve for us because you want to compete at the top level against these teams. They'll push the league and we have to make sure that we show a better side than we did today."

Tottenham Hotspur take on London City Lionesses this weekend in the Women's Super League, aiming to continue their unbeaten streak in the league with three wins and one draw.

Spurs faced off against Aston Villa last weekend in the league where they won 4-0 over the Villans which sees the Lilywhites sit comfortably behind Manchester City in second in the league table.

Martin Ho's side will look to take another win into the international break over the south London side and extend their great form into the league in the early start of the season.

London City Lionesses look to get back-to-back wins in the league after winning their previous two games following a 2-1 defeat to West Ham United. London City went on to beat recently promoted Charlton Athletic 4-1 and then Brighton and Hove Albion 2-0.

Eder Maestre's side sit just outside of European spots in the Women's Super League in 4th, behind Manchester City, their opposition on Sunday Spurs and Chelsea in third place.

In the last two league meetings between Spurs and London City, both teams earned a win. At home, Spurs got a 3-1 win while London City won the reverse fixture at home a staggering 4-2 back in November 2025.

A win for both teams will give them a boost in the league, though both teams will want to remain consistent throughout the season and not peak too early to when winning really matters.

Team News

Tottenham Hotspur

Only long-term absentees Jessica Naz, Maite Oroz and Clare Hunt are unavailable for Spurs against London City Lionesses.

Everyone else is available for selection for Ho.

London City Lionesses

Corrine Henson is unavailable for London City Lionesses.

Alanna Kennedy and Poppy Pattinson will miss a couple of weeks due to injury.

Maestre is 'hopeful' that Nicole Anyomi will be in the squad this weekend.

Possible Line-Ups

Tottenham Hotspur

Kop, Dijkstra, Koga, Nilden, Blakstad, Gaupset, Spence, Holdt, Pelova, Hanson, Tandberg

London City Lionesses

Lete, Fernández, Kardinaal, Mapi León, Corrales, Geyoro, Arques, Diani, Alexia, Van de Donk, Goodwin

Key Players

Tottenham Hotspur — Victoria Pelova

Victoria Pelova celebrating her goal against Aston Villa on September 27, 2026. (Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)

A move across North London has brought out a new side to Victoria Pelova, restoring faith in her and showing what a world class midfielder she can be.

Pelova played for Arsenal until June 2026, having signed for her childhood club in January of 2023 and won a number of trophies with the club. After suffering a torn ACL in the summer of 2024, Pelova struggled to find a way back into the red side of North London which ultimately forced the Dutch midfielder out and across to their rivals: Spurs.

Since joining Spurs, Pelova has been on a roll for the Lilywhites. The Dutch midfielder has scored four goals in the league with one assist, and ties Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw as the top scorer — which is an incredible feat early on into the season.

Ho clearly has restored faith into Pelova about why she plays football, and how she can help this Spurs side out and it is coming out when she steps onto the pitch for Tottenham.

Pelova, who struggled to get even 10-15 minutes for the Arsenal side full of superstars, is settling into the white side of North London with ease, finding her footing as the number 10 of Tottenham Hotspur.

London City Lionesses — Alexia Putellas

All eyes have been on London City Lionesses since the summer with the south London side bringing in big-name recruitments, most notably the signing of two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas.

Alexia, referred to in Spanish media as 'La Reina', joined London City for free over summer after her contract with Barcelona ran out. It was one of the most anticipated signings of the summer: how well will Alexia do in the Women's Super League?

Pretty well, so far. While nothing promising had happened early on in the start of the season, it takes time to settle into a new league. Especially a player who had never played outside of the Spanish Liga F before, so Alexia gets some grace. But teams, and fans, should not underestimate Alexia Putellas.

Alexia is a playmaker. She is somebody who sees the entire pitch. Alexia will see the pass before she even receives the ball. She knows where she wants the ball to go and that is something that her London City teammates cannot take advantage of.

The Spanish midfielder is playing with former Barcelona, and now current London City teammates María León and Jana Fernández, which definitely helps her settle in but the ease in which Alexia is able to find her teammates on the pitch is outstanding.

Alexia registered her first assist for London City in the game against Charlton Athletic where she assisted Isobel Goodwin before finally getting that long awaited goal for her new club against Brighton and Hove Albion.

There is all eyes on Alexia, and so much pressure on the London City captain simply because she is Alexia Putellas. Maestre will have all the focus on the Spanish Ballon d'Or winner because she is the one who controls everything on the pitch but that is the downfall of opponents.

Focusing on Alexia allows other players, such as Daniëlle van de Donk or Kadidiatou Diani to slip through the cracks and have much more time and space on the pitch to further London City Lionesses.

The key to stopping the success of London City Lionesses is to take Alexia out of the game, but also to focus on how she helps the team off the ball.

Match Details

Where is the game being played?

The game is being played at BetWright Stadium in Leytonstone, London. The stadium has a capacity of 9,271.

What time is the game on?

Kick off for the game is 14:00 GMT on Sunday 4 October, 2026.

How to watch the game?

Tottenham Hotspur remain unbeaten in the Women’s Super League so far this season. Last week, we saw a convincing win against Crystal Palace, where Martin Ho’s side won 7-0. Despite a narrow loss on penalties to West Ham in the WSL Player’s Cup during the week, this has not held Tottenham back in their preparation before they face Aston Villa on Sunday.

What to expect against Aston Villa

Martin Ho praised Aston Villa as a side, especially defensively. He described them as a “very good side” who “we will show the ultimate respect.”

Ho explained that Aston Villa are “very good defensively in terms of how they defend in the mid-to-high phases” creating “brilliant pressure.” He also acknowledged that “they (Villa) have had some difficult games to start”, facing Chelsea, Manchester City and Brighton. Natalia Arroyo's side have been able to take points from both Chelsea and Brighton.

However, Ho also explained that “we go back to the league campaign against Aston Villa with the same confidence we went into this week.”

Defensive progress under Ho

When discussing how his side have progressed since he took over as head coach in July 2025, Ho explained that when it comes to defending, his side have particularly focused on how to “change the mid-to-low phases defensively.”

He also explained that “there’s got to be a real will to defend and a commitment to those one-to-one battles individually.”

Tottenham’s defensive work could be significant as they face Aston Villa, who have demonstrated a more attacking style of play this season than previously.

Expectations at the club

Ho praised his players and their start to the WSL season, explaining that "A lot of the players now understand the expectation of what it means to play for this club".

Tottenham Hotspur are unbeaten in the Barclays Women’s Super League season so far, with a 3-1 win against West Ham and a 1-1 draw with Liverpool. This is a positive start to their, which they are looking to continue as they face fellow London side, Crystal Palace, at the weekend.

Despite being a newly promoted team, Crystal Palace have also had a strong start to the WSL season. Their 0-0 draw against Arsenal at the Emirates last weekend was a particularly impressive defensive and their compact defensive structure is something that Tottenham will have to break down if they are looking to win in this fixture.

The most competitive WSL season

Crystal Palace’s results so far also highlight the competitiveness of the WSL this season. Speaking to the media before this London derby, Martin Ho described this season as "one of the most, if not the most competitive season in the WSL for a long time."

He explained that this is because of “more investment from clubs, as well as the quality of players being recruited or returning to the league” as well as the “individual development of each team and squad.”

Due to the competitiveness of the league, Ho explained that “there is never a game I go in to expecting to win” and that he makes sure his team “do not get carried away with one performance or result.” However, you “cannot take away hard passion, desire and fight, which can mean more than individual quality in certain games.”

When asked where he thought Crystal Palace might cause problems for his side, he responded that their “resilience and defensive organisation is very strong.” However, this is one of the reasons why his team’s ‘passion, desire and fight’ is important and his work on shifting the team’s mentality is significant.

Liverpool have advanced to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup after beating a Tottenham Hotspur side that have struggled at the beginning of this season under new boss Roberto De Zerbi.

The Redmen managed to claim a two goal advantage over the north London outfit thanks to goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo, before Conor Gallagher recorded Tottenham's first goal of the season to make it 2-1 in the 69th minute.

After a tight final twenty minutes, Liverpool finally managed to unlock the Spurs defence for the third time of the night, as substitute Dominik Szoboszlai fired in a world class half-volley from thirty yards out to ensure that his side progressed further in the competiton.

Andoni Iraola fielded a heavily rotated side, leaving out names such as Virgil Van Dijk, Alexander Isak, and new summer signing Bradley Barcola - instead opting for second string players such as James McConnell, Trey Nyoni, and Lewis Koumas.

At the beginning of the season, many fans believed that squad depth was one of Liverpool's biggest weaknesses, having let go of players such as Curtis Jones and Andy Robertson, who acted as rotational players in the last campaign.

The game on Wednesday night however, may have proven that this is not the case.

Midfield Options

Alexis Mac Allister has now scored two in three games for Liverpool and is looking to have found some form following a not-so glamorous campaign last season.

The Argentinian has recently expressed his disappointment in having not recieved a new contract offer unlike teammates Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, and he seems to have taken this decision to heart through his recent performances.

You would assume that it can surely be only a matter of time until contract discussions begin, especially given that the 27-year-old seems keen to remain at Anfield.

Youngsters Trey Nyoni and James McConnell also impressed against Tottenham having been given their first competitive starts of the season by their new boss.

Nyoni provided an composed performance for his side, once again proving why the 19-year-old is more than capable of being a mainstay in this Liverpool midfield.

James McConnell on the other hand, has had his role at the club questioned this summer, as his loan move to Preston North End fell through this summer following the departure of Curtis Jones.

It therefore felt to many as if the academy graduate may face the majority of the season watching on from the bench, unlike Nyoni who has been more frequently involved in first team action in recent seasons.

The 22-year-old seems to have taken his chance to impress last night against a high-level opponent, and we may see more of the midfielder this season than we may have originally anticipated.

Koumas Shows Promise

Lewis Koumas was another young player who dazzled for Liverpool last night, and even won the Player of the Match award for his performance.

Andoni Iraola stated that he was captivated by the Welshman's high work rate, a trait that he has displayed coming off the bench in some of the Redmen's opening Premier League fixtures.

Koumas' intense pressing could provide him with a larger role within the squad, gifting his side a player that will consistently close down defenders and the goalkeeper for long periods of time.

The 20-year-old is another individual that we may see a lot more of than people expected this season, and he seems to have the tools to consistently feature week in week out.

What Does the Future Hold for Mamardashvili?

Giorgi Mamardashvili looked brilliant between the sticks on Wednesday night, and may be looking to make a case for himself as Liverpool's long-term first choice goalkeeper.

The Georgian has been inconsistent as a back-up since his arrival in Merseyside last summer, but with the departure of Alisson looming near, it is vital that he performs well this campaign in order to stand a chance to become the Brazillian's replacement.

His performance against Tottenham could mark a new beginning for the 25-year-old shotstopper, and he will hope to continue to produce exquisite performances for the remainder of the season.

Roberto de Zerbi spoke about a 0-0 draw between Tottenham and Everton.

After defeats to Newcastle United and Brentford, Spurs picked up their first Premier League point of the campaign in a goalless stalemate at the City Ground against Nottingham Forest.

But the hunt for a goal went on, and it extended after the 90 minutes against the Toffees were over on Saturday.

‘We made many mistakes in the last third’

De Zerbi’s slick football is not materialising, and the pressure is piling up on his camp.

"We played 30 minutes very well. Then we lost some confidence because we didn't score. We lost energy because our physical condition is not good enough yet. We made many mistakes in the last third - we made wrong decisions in finishing and passing.

Squad problems after the World Cup

"But we started late and had many problems in the squad because of the World Cup players, injuries, transfer market where situations were too late not because of our responsibility. Now we are working. We started 10 days ago to work with all players.

"We have to improve. We have to analyse better the situations individually and collectively.

An apology to the fans

"Football is like this. You could have lost the game today. We have to respect that. We are sorry to the fans because they stayed very, very close to the players, especially in the first half.

But when you have fans and a coach like me who are very passionate, you can be angry when you don't score or shoot when you have chance.