Tottenham Secure Dominant Opening Day Victory Against London Rivals
Tottenham Hotspur’s free flowing play and exciting new recruits made the difference in their dominant opening day 3-1 win against a disjointed West Ham United. Bright sparks Kirsty Hanson, Sigue Gaupset and Caitlin Dijkstra impressed whilst the new look Hammer’s struggled to connect across the 90 minutes and put meaningful pressure on the hosts. The BetWright Stadium was in full voice on a sunny day in Leyton, 1,675 fans ready for a big 2026/2027 season ahead.
Preparation
West Ham struggled to score in their preseason friendlies with two stalemates against Bristol City and Aston Villa.
Spurs rounded off a competitive set of fixtures with a 5-3 win against Birmingham City, after testing themselves against Champions League opposition in Real Madrid that saw a Kirsty Hanson debut goal in a closely fought defeat.
Recent match-ups against the London rivals have been widely unpredictable, the last two going the way of Tottenham with one goal in it, after West Ham came out on top twice in early 2025. Martin Ho’s Tottenham with huge ambitions and a squad to match vs Rita Guarino’s changed Hammers side built for the future with an embedded style of play, retaining leaders and investing in young talent, is an opening day match up to excite the dedicated fan and neutral alike as we welcome a new WSL era.
Team News: Plenty of New Faces Dominate Derby Day
The Hammer’s 10 summer signings, and Tottenham’s exciting 6, got their first run out’s infront of the fans, with over half on the West Ham XI new faces and Tottenham gave starting debut’s to third in line for last season's WSL Golden Boot Kirsty Hanson and Dutch International Caitlin Dijkstra in the defense.
Shekeira Martinez, who swapped the Hammers claret and blue for Lilywhite this summer, starts on the bench alongside Victoria Pelova with Lyon wonderkid Alice Sombath not featuring due to load management as she adapts to a new league. Fan favourite Tandberg leads the line and 2025/26 top scorer Holdt starts on the bench, 19 year-old Norwegian Signe Gaupset commands her spot on the wing in a side dominated by Scandinavian talent.
West Ham offer four competitive debut’s in the opening game of the season, with Cascarino and Zelem making their stays in East London permanent. Swiss International Nadine Riesen and former Gunner Laia Codina start in the defense as French keeper Picaud-Inconnu replaces outgoing number one Kinga Szemik between the sticks.
Algeria’s Inés Bellumou is on the bench after a Team of the Tournament Bronze Medal finish at WAFCON and the Hammer’s top scorer Viviane Asseyi starts in the attack.
Newly inaugurated captains Drew Spence and Katie Zelem lead their teams out for the first time to open the 2026/27 campaign in East London.
Starting XIs:
Tottenham Hotspur:
Lize Kop (GK), 4. Caitlin Dijkstra, 6. Amanda Nildén, 8. Signe Gaupset, 9.Cathinka Tandberg, 13. Mathilda Vinberg, 16. Kirsty Hanson, 24. Drew Spence ©, 25. Eveliina Summanen, 32. Tōko Koga, 41. Julie Blakstad.
West Ham United:
Constance Picaud-Inconnu (GK), 2. Yu Endo, 3. Laia Codina, 4. Oona Siren, 9. Riko Ueki, 10. Katie Zelem ©, 17. Ebony Salmon, 20. Viviane Asseyi, 22. Nadine Riesen, 28. Estelle Cascarino, 77. Seraina Piubel
Match Report:
West Ham got the game underway, with Cascarino dictating her side's forward play from the back line in the opening minutes.
A 5th minute corner was taken by Tottenham, Vinberg firing in low to the feat of new recruit Dijkstra from Wolfsburg, but she was unable to control it. Summanan’s following trademark pinpoint ball into the box was headed away by Codina.
The first shot on target came from Blackstad, a member of Spur’s new performance group, in the 10th minute but her looping effort was caught comfortably by the French keeper.
West Ham had a series of chances at their end but new signing Ebony Salmon was unable to capitalise on good positions, caught in possession. West Ham were given another chance after Hanson's shot at the other end rebounded to the feet of Piubel, carrying the ball across the field, but Riesen’s subsequent cross was well over the head of Endo in the centre of the box.
The deadlock was broken when lively defender Dijkstra’s cross found the head of Blakstad who managed to beat both Salmon and Endo to it. The recycled ball fell to the feet of Gaupset who’s chopped shot ricocheted off the side bar and into the net, Picaud-Inconnu thinking it was going wide. A player who Ho has already described as having “no ceiling to what she can achieve” opened Tottenham's account for the new campaign in the 18th minute.
Hammer’s captain Katie Zelem’s shot a few minutes later fell comfortably into the hands of Kop, a subsequent deadball for the expert was sent teasingly into the Tottenham area but no one in claret and blue could get clean contact. West Ham’s early positives were slowly dwindling with miscommunications appearing in the backline.
The afternoon was made worse when just 10 minutes after the first, Kirsty Hanson bagged her first competitive goal in Lilywhite. The silky play started in their own half as Tandberg crossed the ball to Gaupset in the centre of the park who was allowed to run a quarter of the pitch with the ball at her feet, threading it through to Hanson who made an overlapping run. Picaud-Inconnu came out and thought she had done enough but the deflected ball, almost in slow motion, bounced into the net, Riesen unable to clear off her line; the perfect start for Hanson taking her side into the break with a two goal advantage.
West Ham needed a change at half time, replacing Salmon who struggled on the wing with new recruit Kelly Gago, the French striker joining from Everton, but her inclusion didn’t make much of a difference to the Hammer’s lackluster attacking play.
An early flurry of corners did little to threaten either goal, the best chance coming when Hanson’s cross from the right of the area came agonisingly close to making contact with an outstretched Blakstad, the exciting attacking duo really testing the new Hammer’s backline throughout.
After a flurry of changes that saw Martinez take to the field against her old side, where she scored 20 in 42 appearances, Codina headed a Zelem free kick just wide.
The game was put to bed by none other than Kirsty Hanson who had a debut performance to remember sealed with a Player of the Match trophy. From another display of fluid football on the edge of the box, no claret and blue shirts even approaching the Spurs attack, Vinberg found Hanson who’s looping shot buried into the top left hand corner bagged her brace and Tottenham’s three points.
More debuts were granted in the final quarter as former Arsenal midfielder Victoria Pelova replaced Gaupset and Kumagai was brought on to shore up the Hammer’s defense in the dying moments.
Martinez thought she had headed it home for another debut goal in the 85th minute but the offside flag was up. West Ham had a flurry of chances through Wandeler but, as was the theme of the afternoon, struggled to create anything teasing in front of goal. A consolation was given to the visitors however by the way of an injury time miscommunication at the back allowing Ueki’s ball to find Asseyi who chipped it past an unprepared Kop and chasing Matilda Nildén.
A 3-1 victory for Tottenham Hotspur on home soil where new signings looked to be part of the furniture already and the team seemed hungry, putting on a show of uncharacteristic free flowing football, showed their competition that this is an even more determined Spurs side than before.
What's Next?
In an opening weekend that displayed the ever growing competitiveness of the WSL, the title really is anyone's to play for. Both sides will see this game as a springboard for what’s to come, a perfect competitive match up that allowed new faces to acclimatise to the WSL’s physicality, a chance to assess weaknesses after a busy summer and get back to passionate crowds after a long pre-season away.
The Lilywhite’s enter matchday two in third position, with a trip to top of the table Liverpool in their sights next weekend. A statement opening day 4-0 win away at Charlton and an impressive pre-season, will make the Reds a tough battle in what is typically a closely fought game that can go either way.
Liverpool Captain Grace Fisk and Spur’s Kirsty Hanson are both on a brace and will look to continue their fine goalscoring form with manager Martin Ho “delighted” with his side that “gave me everything, I couldn't have asked for more” in the opening fixture. Spurs hold high ambitions this season and with the apparent fall-off of Manchester United that fourth place position is wide open. Only four points off the Red Devils last season, Tottenham will want to be in pole position to take it and maybe go even further; they certainly put on a display against the Hammers to stake their claim.
For West Ham United however, there is still more to do in order to prove their worth in the WSL. After a series of difficult campaigns manager Rita Guarino, appointed last December, has given the Hammer’s fresh hope with a long-term vision, so the result today, she attests, only serves as part of the process:
“Many positives, many things to work on. When you concede a goal like that it’s hard to come back, when you concede two goals so close, it’s hard to come back. We know exactly who we are and what we want to be, apart from the result we need to work every single week to grow.”
Bedding in 10 summer signings was always going to be a slow process so next week’s derby against London City Lionesses is another chance to test themselves in front of a home crowd. Two new look teams, who have signed world renowned talent, led by players unfamiliar with the league may be just the battle the East London club need. Last season proved they aren't afraid of an upset, drawing against the Lionesses and Manchester United. Unless they want to spend another campaign looking over their shoulder, points will have to start appearing on the board sooner rather than later and to do so they must put the opening day defeat firmly in the rear-view mirror; the WSL waits for no one.
Let the season commence.