Tottenham Hotspur

For a second consecutive weekend, we had to wait until the second half for the goals to start flowing in, but it was another impressive display from start to finish at Brisbane Road.

Victoria Pelova made it four goals in two WSL games after a second brace in as many weeks for our number 23 handed us a two-goal advantage by the 73rd minute before her fellow Netherlands international team-mate Caitlin Dijkstra opened her account for the Club eight minutes later, heading home our third of the afternoon.

Cathinka Tandberg then grabbed her first goal of the campaign to complete the scoring for us on 88 minutes and maintain our unbeaten run in the WSL (three wins and one draw) this term - and seven matches in total with the run stretching back into last season.

It was a totally dominant performance as we recorded 35+ shots in consecutive matches in the WSL – the only side to have achieved that in the competition’s history.

“I'm really proud of the group,” Martin told us, speaking to SPURSPLAY after the game. “I'm really happy because I think it was a real solid performance and I think that's probably our best performance in the time I've been here, personally.

“Most complete from back to front - defensively and offensively - some small parts in it, which you're always going to have. But really proud of the group, and the most important part is to get three points.

Asked about the goals coming in the second half, he added: “It was more the same as what the message was against Crystal Palace. We're creating chances, we're in the right positions and we're doing the right things. We just needed to be a little bit more disciplined with our structure and then when we got in front of goal, a little bit more quality and a bit more belief.

“Once we got them in their half, I thought our organisation away from the ball was then good to keep them in [their half] and once we got them down there, it was hard for them to get out. A wonderful performance from us from start to finish.”

While all the focus will be on the goals scored once again, now 11 goals in two games, we also registered our third consecutive clean sheets in all competitions.

“You want to make sure that, as a team, you keep clean sheets and we don't allow Lize [Kop] to do too much work,” Martin added. “She had a little bit of work to do at times, I thought there were some dangerous attacks in the first half. Once we got control in the second half, we were more organised, our counter-pressure was better, our positioning was better when we attacked and it enabled our defence then to probably just be part of the possession and not have to defend as much.”

SPURSPLAY

SPURSPLAY

Our Dutch defensive duo retained their starting place in the side - having both played in the 1-1 draw against Jurgen Klopp's Germany on Thursday night - as Mexx Meerdink bagged a brace on his first start with a goal in each half to secure the three points in Group B of the UEFA Nations League.

The AZ Alkmaar striker opened his international account from the penalty spot to break the deadlock on the half-hour mark and later restored the lead with a well-taken finish into the bottom corner on 69 minutes after Luka Jovic had earlier levelled 50 seconds into the second half.

That was JP's 18th cap and Micky's 26th with the pair playing the entirety of the contest at centre-back and left-back respectively.

Over in Copenhagen, Ben Davies captained Wales on his 102nd cap as they lost 2-0 to Denmark in Group D.

Danish forward Gustav Isaksen had a goal chalked off for offside in a goalless first half before both Denmark goals came from indirect free-kicks in the right channel as Ben inadvertently turned into his own net eight minutes after half-time and Isaksen doubled the lead with a deflected strike in the 66th minute.

Kevin Danso's Austria made it consecutive 3-1 wins in Nations League B as first-half goals from David Affengruber and Chukwubuike Adamu were added to by Carney Chukwuemeka on 61 minutes before Edon Zhegrova's spot-kick came as consolation for Kosovo in Vienna.

At youth level, Phoenix Offiah started and Oscar Sandiford remained an unused substitute as England Under-18s qualified for the UEFA Friendship Cup semi-finals with a 2-1 win over Egypt in Switzerland.

The Young Lions progressed as group winners after goals from Ryan Kavuma-McQueen and Michael Mills made it two wins from two at the Centre Sportif de Colovray in Nyon. Phoenix went close with a header over the bar in the second half before being substituted on 65 minutes.

Our impressive start to the WSL campaign continued on Sunday afternoon as we claimed a 4-0 victory over the Villans on Sunday afternoon, making it four games unbeaten in the competition.

For a second weekend in a row, we dominated proceedings and chances in the first half but just couldn’t find the breakthrough. However, we were clinical once again after the break as Victoria Pelova netted her second brace in as many games before Caitlin Dijsktra opened her account in Lilywhite and Cathinka Tandberg got off the mark for the season.

It was another excellent display from Martin Ho’s side, but who was your Player of the Match?

Vote for your Player of the Match | Spurs vs Villa

Totally dominant at Brisbane Road with 35 shots, you sensed it was only a matter of time before we put the visitors to the sword and – much like in last weekend’s astonishing 7-0 win at Crystal Palace – we only went up through the gears as the game went on, with all four goals arriving in the second half as Martin Ho’s side powered to victory.

Villa simply had no response with goalkeeper Lize Kop largely a spectator – and it could have been even worse for them had Dijkstra’s driven first-half effort been allowed to stand, the ball appearing to have crossed the line before Villa defender Lynn Wilms whacked it clear. The result means we’ve now gone seven WSL matches unbeaten for the first time – a run stretching back into last season.

Our attacking intent was clear from the off as Toko Koga, Tandberg and Kirsty Hanson – in action against her former club – all had attempts inside the opening quarter-of-an-hour before Tandberg’s subsequent header was saved by Villa goalkeeper Akane Okuma. A moment of controversy arrived in the 17th minute, though, as we appeared to have taken the lead with Dijkstra’s low drive in the wake of a corner seemingly crossing the line – defender Wilms was stood inside the goal as she cleared it – only for the referee to allow play to continue.

A good effort from Hanson later cleared the crossbar while Amanda Nilden’s low shot from distance forced a save from Okuma and Tandberg’s shot was diverted into the side netting as we continued on the front foot going into the break, with Villa restricted to only the odd opening, where some wayward finishing let them down.

Olivia Holdt latched onto Signe Gaupset’s pass but saw her angled effort deflected over the bar in the opening stages of the second period, but we didn’t have to wait much longer for the breakthrough, with the same two players involved in the build-up. Holdt exhibited some great footwork on the right flank and played short to Gaupset whose driven cross from that side was parried by Okuma, with Pelova on hand to slide home the loose ball on 55 minutes.

It remained one-way traffic thereafter, Julie Blakstad denied by Okuma with a clever free-kick and later volleying over the bar, before Pelova doubled her tally on 73 minutes. Following a short corner, captain Drew Spence found her in the box with a lovely pass in from the right, with Pelova rifling in off the underside of the crossbar.

Eight minutes later it was three, with an illustration of just how high we were pressing as our left-back Blakstad assisted right-back Dijkstra, the former standing up an inch-perfect cross from the left for the latter to nod home at the back post. Substitute Matilda Vinberg’s header was superbly saved by Okuma a little while later, but two minutes from time we piled on the misery for the visitors as Spence released Vinberg in the left channel, her shot was repelled by Okuma and Tandberg gleefully slid home the loose ball. Okuma made one final impressive stop to keep out another Blakstad volley on her line, but it was all smiles from our team at the end as we notched up another highly-impressive win.

Line-ups

Spurs (4-2-3-1): Kop, Dijkstra (Morris 87), Koga, A Nilden (Sombath 90+2), Blakstad, Spence (c), Gaupset (Summanen 82), Holdt (M Nilden 87), Pelova, Hanson (Vinberg 82), Tandberg. Substitutes (not used): Panengstuen, Ahtinen, Martinez, Wijk.

Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Okuma, Wilms, Patten (c), Harviken, Maritz (Maltby 71), Parker (Kielland 29), Taylor (McAulay 61), Grant (Mullett 61), Kendall, Hijikata (Deslandes 61), Vangsgaard. Substitutes (not used): Ramsey, Murphy, Scott.

Match data

Goals: Spurs – Pelova 55, 73, Dijkstra 81, Tandberg 88.

Yellow cards: Spurs – Gaupset 5, Pelova 44; Aston Villa – Maritz 58, Deslandes 67, McAulay 77.

Referee: Lisa Benn.

Venue: Brisbane Road, Leyton.

Weather: Cloudy, moderate breeze, 21 degrees.

Attendance: 1,038.

Martin Ho has made no changes to the side that started in our 7-0 win over Crystal Palace last time out in the WSL, while it is nine changes from Wednesday night’s Players Cup clash against West Ham United.

Having missed the midweek cup fixture at Brisbane Road, Toko Koga returns to the starting side to partner alongside Amanda Nilden.

After impressing on their first starts in Lilywhite this term last weekend at Selhurst Park, Olivia Holdt and Victoria Pelova are once again in from the start.

Here’s the full team…

Spurs: Kop, Dijkstra, A. Nilden, Gaupset, Tandberg, Holdt, Hanson, Pelova, Spence (c), Koga, Blakstad.

Substitutes: Panengstuen, Morris, Sombath, Vinberg, M. Nilden, Martinez, Ahtinen, Wijk, Summanen.

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

Aston Villa: Okuma, Harviken, Patten (c), Hijikata, Wilms, Parker, Martiz, Grant, Vangsgaard, Kendall, Taylor.

The experienced left-back wore the armband as usual and completed the full 90 minutes as Scotland – who were impressive in the second half – began their UEFA Nations League campaign by picking up a point in Ljubljana.

‘Robbo’ is now only four caps off Kenny Dalglish’s all-time record of 102 appearances for Scotland.

Elsewhere, two of our goalkeepers were on the bench for their respective countries in the Nations League on Saturday night.

Antonin Kinsky watched on as Czech Republic suffered a 2-1 loss at home to Croatia, while Martin Dubravka sat in reserve for Slovakia in their 2-0 home victory against Moldova.

Our trip to St Ledger Stadium this weekend is our final fixture of the group phase, having picked up two wins out of two as we currently sit second in Group P behind leaders Real Bedford on goal difference.

It has already been an impressive display from our youngsters so far in the senior competition – emphatically beating tier four side London Bees 7-1 before narrowly overcoming Northampton earlier this month – which has all but guaranteed their spot in the knockout stages of either the Cup or Plate.

Knowing a victory would secure their spot in the FAWNL Cup bracket, the first time we would reached that stage of the competition since the PGA’s introduction two seasons ago, Eloise feels the team have thrived going toe-to-toe with senior sides and showcases their ambitions of where they want to go.

“I feel in the two games we've played so far in the senior cup, we definitely have showed up and worked really well as a team,” she said. “We wanted to prove ourselves against tier four clubs and we have done that, winning 7-1 at London Bees and then 1-0 over Northampton.

“We thought Northampton was more of a physical struggle just because we came off the back of a number of big game weeks and everything, but I think we're ready to play against tier three.

“I just feel like the competitiveness in the games has shown a lot more than last season. I feel like we put up more physical battles than we did previously because we've been in and around it a lot, and the experience we've had playing games such as London Bees, who aspire to go into tier three. It's just a good battle, especially because it's where we want to be in the future.”

Elosie, who is a Scotland Under-19 international, scored the winning goal in our 1-0 win over Northampton Town earlier this month and she feels she has adapted well to the environment of senior matches.

“It’s definitely helped with my performance because I'm very much a physical front-footed player - and it matches me,” she added. “It's just let me show off myself a little bit more physically because I get to come up against players who are definitely a lot stronger than me, so I try and come up with ways to get around them and just see where I have to put myself to be like them. But I've definitely adapted well.”

However, the biggest test of the group phase will come this weekend when we travel to Real Bedford, who are the third tier of Women’s football and compete in the FAWNL Southern Premier Division.

“It's going to be a tough challenge as they're going to be very physical, very smart with how they play, but we're excited because it is a different challenge. It's a different league to London Bees and Northampton, so they're going to be more senior, more experienced players, but I feel the competitiveness and the excitement we have to play them is going to show on the pitch on Sunday.”

Supporters can head down to St Ledger Stadium to watch the next generation of players on Sunday with tickets priced at £6 for adults, £4 for Over 60s, £2 for 13–17-year-olds and £1 for Under-12s.

Real Bedford will also be providing a live stream of the game via their website.

Beginning with Mathys, the Frenchmen led the line for his country both figuratively and physically as he started as the central striker, captained France's Under-21s and found the net as they drew 1-1 with Iceland in Reykjavik.

The goal came as the forward showed his goalscoring instinct, getting in between the goalposts and being in the right place at the right time to fire in from close range after his side had seen an effort cleared off the line.

He went on to play 87 minutes in the Icelandic capital before being substituted. Next up for him and his country is a trip to Estonia on Tuesday (29 September).

Earlier in the day, Mikey had a debut to remember for England's Under-20s as not only did he captain the side but he also grabbed a goal as they ran out 3-1 winners over Italy.

It was a slightly more disappointing evening for Mateus though as, despite him retaining the armband for his nation, Portugal's Under-21s fell 2-1 to Bulgaria. Portugal had led the game from the 50th minute but two goals in the last five minutes saw Mateus' side leave eastern Europe empty handed. Our number 18 played the full 90 minutes.

Next up for Mateus is a home clash with Gibraltar on Wednesday (30 September).

Sticking with the younger age groups and Archie Gray started for England's Under-21s as they ran out 4-2 winners over Kazakhstan at Molineux. The midfielder played the first 68 minutes as they edged close to qualification for the European Championships. Next up for the Young Lions is a home clash with Slovakia next Friday (2 October).

Elsewhere, Malachi Hardy played the full 90 minutes while Luca Williams-Barnett was a late substitute as England Under-19s overcame the Republic of Ireland 1-0 in a friendly.

Yang Min-Hyeok played 45 minutes earlier in the day as Korea's Under-23s secure a placed in the semi-finals of the Asian Games, defeating Vietnam 4-0 in Japan. They'll face that final four match on Wednesday as they go for Gold at the tournament.

Moving into the senior sides and there was joy for Lucas Bergvall as Sweden overcame Radu Dragusin's Romania 2-1 in Stockholm to make a perfect start to their UEFA Nations League campaign

Lucas played the full 90 minutes, as did Radu. Next up for Sweden is the visit of Poland on Monday (28 September) while Radu's Romania will host Bosnia-Herzegovina on the same night.

There was delight for Jamie Donley as he helped Northern Ireland to their first ever Nations League away win. Jamie's nation had to remain patient as they faced Georgia in Tbilisi, but kept their composure and went on to score a 99th-minute winner to make the perfect start to their Nations League campaign.

Jamie started and played 73 minutes in the Georgian capital. Next up for him is a home match with Hungary on Monday (28 September).

There was disappointment in Rome for Sandro Tonali and Guglielmo Vicario - who is spending the season on loan at Juventus - though as Italy fell 2-0 to Belgium in their UEFA Nations League opener. Sandro played the full 90 minutes for the Azzurri while Vic was an unused substitute. Next up for the Italians is a trip to Rome on Monday (28 September).

Omar Marmoush was a first-half substitute for Egypt as they kicked-off their Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign with a 0-0 draw with Angola in Cairo. Next up is a trip to South Sudan for Omar and his nation on Tuesday (29 September). On-loan Paper Matar Sarr, meanwhile, came on in the second half for Senegal as they drew 1-1 with Mozambique, also in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.