Manchester City cruise five past Spurs as Clinton stars on debut

Manchester City Women cruised to the top half of the WSL (Women’s Super League) table as they beat Tottenham Hotspur Women at Brisbane Road. 

Goals from Aoba Fujino, Vivianne Miedema, and Kerstin Casparij set the tone for City’s dominance. 

A stunning debut from summer signing Grace Clinton, along with a late goal from Laura Coombs, ensured the Cityzens were on top form.

 City looked to improve on their form after a mixed bag of results under new Swedish manager Andrée Jeglertz, while Spurs sought to build on their previous performances under Martin Ho. 

Clinton, making her debut for the Sky Blues after a deadline-day signing from Manchester United, featured in City’s dominant win, making an instant impact with a goal and an assist.

The Sky Blues had secured their first win of the season last weekend and looked to build momentum, while hopes for a clean sheet for Spurs were dashed as City ran riot.

Spurs had shown improvement, having secured consecutive clean sheets despite conceding the second-highest number of goals in the WSL last season

First Half

Starting in a 4-2-3-1 formation, Tottenham began brightly, with early chances coming from Jessica Naz and Olga Ahtinen as the Lilywhites pressed early.

Jeglertz’s side faced a nervy moment as forward Lauren Hemp limped off in the 22nd minute after rolling her ankle. The visitors quickly rallied, scoring three goals in twenty minutes to take control of the contest.

City midfielder Aoba broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute with a right-footed shot, Miedema doubled the lead in the 39th minute, and Casparij added a third just before half-time.

Second Half 

Tottenham looked to capitalise on a string of missed chances, applying pressure in the final third.

Khadija Bunny Shaw had a chance to add to her tally but was denied by a strong save from Spurs' Lize Kop.

However, saves from Kop were not enough as Clinton struck in the 80th minute, marking her debut with a goal. Laura Coombs added a fifth in stoppage time, cementing the scoreline at 5-1. Spurs’ Olivia Holdt scored a late consolation goal in the 87th minute.

City dominated much of the game, with Spurs having brief periods of control in the latter part of the second half, but they were overpowered by City’s attacking depth.

Despite Holdt’s late strike, City dominated throughout and secured a convincing victory over Spurs. 

Ho’s side, who had allowed just one shot on target from their opponents across their first two league, struggled against City’s aggressive attack. 

Spurs found it difficult to handle both the City frontline and create chances of their own, with Holdt’s goal providing little consolation. 

City’s fitness concerns over key attacker Hemp loomed large; eight shots, four on target, and three goals in the first half highlighted their threat.

While Brazilian Kerolin stepped up on the left, the absence of players Hemp and Mary Fowler has increased pressure on Kerolin and Fujino, who were just returning from injury. 

After last season’s injury crisis, City could ill afford setbacks as they look to build momentum.

Post-match reflections

Spurs manager, Ho reflected on his team’s performance and plans for improvement:

"We need to be more intense, show more passion, and fight harder. We have to be more competitive—what we showed today is not acceptable for any team."

"I’m the same whether we win or lose. I won’t accept half-hearted performances. In the second half, we showed more flashes of quality, and players impacted the game well. Now, the decisions they make are even more important. There’s much more competition for places, and players have to step up. We cannot give easy chances around our box."

Jegerletz shared his thoughts on the game and spoke about his knowledge of Hemp’s injury:

"It’s tough for her, of course. She’s upset, and we all are. We’ll see how things develop in the coming days."

"I don’t think past results matter too much. We’re growing with every game, and I’m shaping a team with a distinct identity. We’re also seeing different faces representing Manchester City this year. We definitely controlled the game with the ball, were lethal in transitions, and maintained control without the ball."

On her debut for Manchester City, Clinton reflected on her first goal and minutes in blue, and spoke about settling into the team:

"Not just yet—I’ve still got a few connections to make and I’m getting used to the formations. But I’m really happy to score that goal and gain confidence. There’s still room for improvement, of course. To be honest, I was really excited to get back on the pitch, no matter who I was playing with. My focus was just on being myself and playing with confidence. I’m playing alongside unbelievable players, which makes it easy, and if I make a mistake, I try to respond with another positive action to contribute to the team.’