SheKicks

The Women’s Super League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at Brisbane Road ran deep into additional time on Sunday after an extensive period of treatment for Mia Enderby.

The forward appeared to sustain an injury to her neck late on, and it required a lengthy stoppage, meaning that 22 minutes were added on after the clock ticked past the regulation 90.

The BBC have since reported that Enderby was taken to hospital for further treatment.

Reds boss Gareth Taylor had little information on his player’s welfare immediately after the match, telling the media in quotes reported by the club’s official website: “It’s not nice to see. Obviously [she was] stretchered off and I’ve not had an opportunity to speak to the medical department. I think she has gone to hospital but hopefully she is OK.

“At one point I thought she was going to re-enter in terms of getting back up and start to play again but with those types of injuries it’s really crucial we take care of them.”

The 20-year-old has been ever present for Liverpool so far this season and signed a new two-year contract in the summer.

Liverpool will keep fighting, says Gareth Taylor

Tottenham won the match 2-1, meaning Liverpool are still without a win in the league this season, and continue to sit second-bottom of the WSL table. They have a game in hand over bottom-of-the-table West Ham United.

The Reds have picked up two serious injuries recently, with both Sophie Roman Haug and Marie Hobinger suffering ACL injuries ahead of the international break.

“We didn’t have anything from the sidelines today, unfortunately,” Taylor added. “It’s not ideal when you have to play a 21-year-old [centre half] Hannah Silcock up on the right side. We just have to battle through it. The message is clear. We’re working so hard as staff, players and everyone at the club to turn this into a better situation. But it takes a bit of time and a bit of support.

“Unfortunately, as we’ve seen at the moment, we’re getting knocked a bit, but we’ll keep fighting.”

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Martin Ho praised his players after a 3-0 Subway Women’s League Cup win over Birmingham City.

And he said he couldn’t ask for anything more from them after a fine start to the season, which has left them fourth in the Women’s Super League table before the international break – ahead of local rivals Arsenal.

“I think up to this point we’ve done really well – 12 points in the league and five points in the cup. I couldn’t ask for more,” he told the club’s official website.

“The group has given me everything so far and I want to make sure we continue to build on that. We can’t get comfortable or think we can take our foot off the gas. We have six really big games after the break, and we need to go into those games ready to win.”

Tottenham Hotspur boss Ho: It was a really good performance

He was particularly impressed on Sunday with goalscorers Olivia Holdt, who got a brace, and Amanda Nilden.

“Three points, three goals. I’d say it was a dominant performance for large spells. Maybe the last five or ten minutes, we got a little bit scrappy with the ball and gave away a few too many easy chances through our own build-up.

“Apart from that, I thought it was a really good performance. Some good individual performances, but collectively a really positive one off the back of Chelsea.

“The first goal was really good in terms of her instinctiveness in the box – to lift it over the keeper when she comes out. Then, her ability to go around the keeper on the second one. The build-up play to that point was good, really clever – a great through ball for the second goal.

“Amanda’s goal where she cuts inside and puts it in the bottom corner – that gives us a really nice 3–0 win and, more importantly, an opportunity to get closer to progression out of the group.”

Tottenham Hotspur are top of Group E, with five points from their two matches so far.

Tottenham Hotspur’s next match will be in the Women’s Super League on Sunday, 2nd November, when they face Liverpool after the international break.

Their next match in the Subway Women’s League Cup is away to Bristol City, on Sunday, 23rd November.

Tottenham Women have announced that three Women’s Super League (WSL) fixtures will take place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium later this season.

The club has made an excellent start to the season under new head coach Martin Ho.

Their 1-0 victory over Brighton on Sunday was their fourth win in five games, leaving them third in the WSL table.

Spurs are already more than halfway towards matching the 20 points they earned last season, when they finished 11th in the WSL.

Ho replaced Robert Vilahamn as head coach after the latter was sacked at the end of last season.

Which WSL fixtures will be held at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?

Tottenham have confirmed that three fixtures in the second-half of the WSL season will take place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The first fixture to take place at their home stadium will be the clash against reigning champions Chelsea on February 8th.

Tottenham will also face Everton on March 15th and Manchester United on April 26th, at the stadium.

All three fixtures are subject to date changes and Tottenham have revealed that a bundle will be offered for fans to attend all three games.

This matches the tally of WSL games which were held at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium during the 2024-25 campaign.

Tottenham played Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea at the stadium last season, falling to a defeat in each of those games.

Ho’s side will be hoping for better fortune at their home stadium during the 2025-26 campaign.

The rest of Tottenham’s home games are currently set to be hosted at Brisbane Road in Leyton.

What’s next for Tottenham?

Tottenham could climb to the top of the Women’s Super League table this weekend, however, their chances would appear slim.

Ho’s side travel to a Chelsea side who are unbeaten in their last 27 league games.

Chelsea dropped points at the weekend for the first time this season with a draw against Manchester United. They are also fresh off the news that Sjoeke Nusken has signed a new contract extension.

Spurs go into the game just one point behind their local rivals, with Manchester City also above them on goal difference.

Tottenham then face a League Cup tie with Birmingham City before the players go away for their first international break since the summer.

Ho’s side return from the international break on November 2nd, when they play a Liverpool side who have failed to score a point so far this season.

Tottenham Hotspur have announced the return of Lawrence Shamieh – this time as first team assistant coach.

Shamieh – who spent 2021-22 as Spurs’ women’s lead performance analyst – joins Martin Ho’s coaching staff from Manchester United, where he spent three years as coach analyst and lead performance analyst.

It follows the news last week that Adam Jeffrey had been appointed as first-team coach, joining the club from West Ham United.

“I’m very happy to be back at Tottenham Hotspur,” Shamieh said in a statement. “It was an opportunity that I couldn’t turn down, working with a really driven group of staff and players, at a club that is looking to progress in an upwards trajectory.

“I’m looking forward to contributing using the experience I’ve gained over the last few years, and working at a highly ambitious club.”

Lawrence Shamieh’s impeccable understanding of football

Head coach Martin Ho added: “I’m absolutely delighted to welcome Lawrence as our new assistant coach. From a coaching and tactical perspective, he has an impeccable understanding of the game and a depth of knowledge that will bring real value to our team.

“He is highly regarded and respected across football, which speaks volumes about his ability and the relationships he has built throughout his career. But above all, he’s a good person, genuine, humble, and someone who cares deeply about the players and staff around him. His work ethic is second to none, and I have no doubt he will be a fantastic addition as we continue to build the culture and standards we want at this football club.”

Tottenham Hotspur: their technical staff

The additions to the technical team over the last few weeks replace some recent departures. Bri Campos left the club earlier in September after becoming then-head coach Robert Vilahamn’s assistant in January. She is now working with Sweden’s youth squads.

Vicky Jepson – also part of Vilahamn’s technical team, and a previous interim coach of the club as well as a long-serving member of staff at WSL rivals Liverpool – is now head coach of the USA’s under-20s.

Martin Ho was appointed as Tottenham Hotspur head coach in July, a month after the departure of Vilahamn, who had been in charge for a little over two years.

Tottenham’s next match is on Sunday, 5th October, when they host Brighton and Hove Albion.

They currently sit fourth in the Women’s Super League table – one point ahead of north London neighbours Arsenal.

Ash Neville made her first appearance of the season for Tottenham Hotspur – and helped them to a 2-1 win over Leicester City that lifted them to fourth place in the Women’s Super League table.

The full back had suffered a knock in pre-season and had not played any role in the opening matches of the campaign.

But she came on for the last 25 minutes of the match, replacing Josefine Rybrink, to safely anchor the winning effort.

“It felt great to be back out on the pitch,” she told the club’s television channel. “I know it’s been a while, so I’ve been really looking forward to it.”

Martin Ho’s side have now won three of their four WSL matches so far this season.

Cathinka Tandberg opened the scoring for Spurs at the King Power with Olivia Holdt adding a second.

Sam Tierney pulled one back for Leicester just before half-time, and Neville added that Spurs had expected the tough game they got.

“We knew coming into this game it wasn’t going to be an easy one,” she said. “When the scoreline gets to a one-goal lead, you know you have to work hard. I think the girls worked really hard today to grind it out. It’s a massive three points on the board.”

Ash Neville: We’ve got a big week next week

Referring to the midweek Subway Women’s League Cup match against Aston Villa that went to penalties, Neville reflected: “To get three out of four wins on the board now, to come off a three-game week with a big three points at the end of it, it’s a true credit to how hard the girls have worked this week, so we rest now and then we’ve got a big week next week.”

And speaking about her frustration at not being able to play combined with her pride in her team-mates’ success so far, she said:

“It’s been great. I’ve been on the sidelines, it isn’t ideal. You obviously want to be out there playing, but we’ve had a great start to the season. That’s just going to continue now, I think.”

Tottenham’s next challenge is hosting Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday, 5th October, and Neville hopes she will be even more involved in that match.

“It was nice to come on and get those first minutes. Hopefully next week I can get a bit more. We know it’s not going to be an easy game. We don’t want anyone to come to our pitch and think they can take us. We’re looking forward to that game.”

Tottenham Hotspur took a bonus point from their Subway Women’s League Cup match against Aston Villa – and Martin Ho gave a lot of credit to goalkeeper Lize Kop.

With the score at 0-0 after 90 minutes, the competition rules say that a penalty shoot-out decides who gets an extra point to take into the group standings.

And Kop not only stopped two penalties, she had the nerve to step up and take one as well.

“Penalties are the cruellest way of deciding games,” Ho told the club’s official website afterwards. “I don’t envy anyone in those situations – I don’t even enjoy watching them!

“But the players who stepped up showed real courage and personality. It’s a pressured moment, and I’m proud of them. Lize made two brilliant saves and even scored a penalty herself – she’s effectively won us the game.”

The score in the shoot-out was 7-6, with Sarah Mayling, Anna Patten, Jill Baijings, Oceane Deslandes, Lynn Wilms and Lucia Kendall scoring for Villa, and Kop making crucial saves from Miri Taylor and Georgia Mullett.

Indeed, if Taylor had managed to get past Kop with her spot kick, Villa would have won the match, as Spurs’ Lenna Gunning-Williams had the first penalty of the shoot-out saved by Ellie Roebuck.

But the seven team-mates that followed her did not miss: Bethany England, Amanda Nilden, Matilda Vinberg, Eveliina Summanen, Drew Spence, Kop and Toko Koga.

Villa had one less penalty taker to choose from after Noelle Maritz’s late red card reduced them to ten players.

Martin Ho: We need to be more consistent going forward

Reflecting on the match during normal time, Ho described it as “a scrappy game”.

“In the first half, we created some good moments but maybe lacked a cutting edge in the final third,” he said.

“In the second half, we got into some good positions, but the final ball or action was a little off. When we got it right, we found good shooting and crossing positions. We just need to make that more consistent.

“Clean sheets are important – they give you confidence. But we still need to defend the goal better because they had some big moments. Our pressure also needs to be a bit more aggressive and consistent. This performance was the response we expected. The players would’ve felt the City defeat, and hopefully tonight has taken that out of their system so we can now move on to Leicester City.”

Chelsea have completed the permanent signing of goalkeeper Becky Spencer from Tottenham.

The Jamaican international goalkeeper originally joined the Blues on loan back in March.

This move came after Femke Liefting suffered a long-term injury and Zecira Musovic’s pregnancy.

The 34-year-old was on the Chelsea bench for all but two games during her loan stint with the club, as they completed a domestic treble.

Spencer spent five-and-a-half seasons at Tottenham where she made 95 appearances and kept 18 clean sheets.

She played a huge role in Tottenham reaching the final of the 2023-24 Women’s FA Cup, saving penalties from Chloe Kelly and Alex Greenwood during a penalty shootout against Manchester City in the quarter-finals.

Why have Chelsea signed Becky Spencer?

The signing of Becky Spencer comes after Chelsea also signed Livia Peng last month.

Peng will offer competition to England and Chelsea No.1 Hannah Hampton, after Zecira Musovic left the club at the end of June.

Chelsea’s head of women’s football, Paul Green, said Spencer will also provide cover for Chelsea’s No.1 goalkeeper.

Green said: “Her experience will provide cover and enable the younger goalkeepers to pursue valuable development opportunities.

‘‘She settled in well during her loan and is a great character to have in the group. We all look forward to working with her again next season.”

Spencer meanwhile told Chelsea’s official website: “I’m over the moon to be given the opportunity to stay at this magical club, it somewhere which has always felt like home for me.

“We have amazing fans and I look forward to coming back into this environment on a permanent basis and working alongside the great goalkeeper’s union we have.”

Who else have Chelsea signed this summer?

In total, Chelsea have signed four players so far during the summer transfer window.

Becky Spencer is the second goalkeeping addition, following the previous arrival of Switzerland’s Livia Peng.

Earlier this month, Chelsea strengthened their defence with the addition of two-time Champions League winner Ellie Carpenter.

The Australian arrived on a four-year deal from Lyon after five successful years in France.

The deal for Carpenter involved another Chelsea star returning to her former club in Lyon, as Ashley Lawrence – who was also competing with Bronze at right back – heads back to France.

Chelsea last month also signed German U23 international Mara Alber from Hoffenheim.

The 19-year-old can play on either flank or in midfield, and also signed a four-year deal with the Blues.