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 5-2 win over Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday evening. Alessia Russo scored a 22-minute hat-trick to put her side in firm control at the break while Caitlin Foord and Stina Blackstenius added more in the second half.

It was a devastating first-half performance from Russo, who has enjoyed an eye-catching week in front of goal. 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 have won all three matches they have been involved in.

It is just the latest evidence of the impressive run of form the England international has been enjoying this season despite oscillating between the 9 and 10 roles. The 27-year-old has 25 goal contributions in 31 games this campaign and has moved to fourth in the Women’s Super League scoring charts.

On this occasion, she was charged with leading the line as Blackstenius dropped to the bench. She proved a nightmare for the Spurs defence, who were unable to handle her aerial ability or direct running between the lines.

It was the second time in two matches that Tottenham have suffered from a slow start and 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 by Manchester City the previous week, Spurs had struggled to defend their box in the air. The return of the Japan centre-back Toko Koga from the Asian Cup would have given Ho hope that he could shore up his defence in that area but it took just five minutes for that specific weakness to shine through. Russo got the better of Hanna Wijk as a Katie McCabe delivery came in, then stooped low to nod the ball home.

Before Spurs had time to draw breath, Arsenal had doubled their lead. Olivia Smith played a perfectly weighted ball in behind to find the run of Russo, who 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.

Ho’s side have put in stronger second-half showings this campaign so it would have come as little surprise that they improved after the restart. 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 in proceedings, however, Arsenal extended their lead. Smilla Holmberg, who had been enjoying plenty of space down the right, 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.

The introduction of Bethany England late on added more energy to the visitors’ attack. On her 200th WSL appearance, the Spurs captain hit a post with her first touch before scoring her seventh of the campaign to bring her side back within two goals.

Despite their improvement, however, Spurs were always vulnerable on the break as exemplified by Blackstenius’s finish deep into injury time. It was a win that put Arsenal second, 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]