Alessia Russo’s rapid fire hat-trick sinks Tottenham and sends Arsenal second in WSL | OneFootball

Arsenal secured their 11th consecutive victory in all competitions with a confident win against Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday evening. Alessia Russo scored a 22-minute hat-trick to put her side in firm control while Caitlin Foord and Stina Blackstenius added more in the second half.

It was a devastating first-half performance from Russo. Her three in the latest edition of the north London derby took her tally to five in the last eight days, a week in which Arsenal extended their unbeaten run in all competitions.

It is the latest evidence of the impressive form the England international has been enjoying this season despite oscillating between the 9 and 10 roles. She has 25 goal contributions in 31 games and has now moved to fourth in the Women’s Super League scoring charts.

Renée Slegers labelled her “a complete footballer” and was full of praise for the 27-year-old. “She’s one of the best finishers I’ve seen and there are so many other things to her game,” the Arsenal head coach said.

“We try to create an environment where players and people can grow and Alessia is definitely doing that. She takes a lot of ownership. She’s very reflective. She works closest with Kelly Smith [former Arsenal forward and current assistant coach] so they talk through the detail and have a lot of conversations about mindset.”

Leading the line on this occasion, she proved a nightmare for the Spurs defence who were unable to handle her aerial ability or direct running.

It was the second time in as many matches that Tottenham have suffered from a slow start and their manager, Martin Ho, had talked about the need to not give their opposition “45 minutes of free football”. It will have been frustrating, therefore, to watch his side concede twice in the opening 10.

In defeat to Manchester City the previous week, Spurs had struggled to defend their box in the air. Despite the return of Japan centre-back Toko Koga, it took just five minutes for that specific weakness to come to the fore. Russo got the better of her marker Hanna Wijk as a Katie McCabe delivery came in, then stooped low to nod the ball home.

Before the visitors had time to draw breath, Arsenal doubled their lead when Olivia Smith found the run of Russo. The forward coolly rounded Lize Kop before dispatching an angled effort into the net.

Spurs thought they had pulled themselves back into the contest when an unfortunate Frida Leonhardsen Maanum turned a corner into her own net. Their joy was short-lived, however, when Russo charged down Kop’s clearing pass to restore Arsenal’s two-goal lead going into the break.

Fixing the small details will be at the forefront of Ho’s mind as Spurs look to end a run of three successive defeats. He will, therefore, have taken positives from a stronger second half performance, a theme of their campaign so far.

Slegers, meanwhile, began to ring the changes, presumably with one eye on the second leg of their Women’s Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea on Wednesday.

Just as Spurs were starting to find a foothold, however, Arsenal extended their lead when Smilla Holmberg produced a dangerous delivery that found Foord at the far post. The Australian’s first touch took her away from Wijk and afforded her the space to rifle an effort home, an immediate impact after returning from the Asian Cup.

The introduction of Bethany England late on injected more impetus into the visitors’ attack. On her 200th WSL appearance, the Spurs captain hit the post with her first touch before scoring her seventh of the campaign to narrow the deficit.

Despite their improvement, Spurs were vulnerable on the break as exemplified by Blackstenius’s finish deep into injury time. It was a win that took Arsenal up to second in the table, level with Manchester United but with two games in hand, and in control of their own destiny in the race for automatic qualification for the Champions League group stage.

Header image: [Photograph: John Walton/PA]