Russo penalty rescues Arsenal as Slegers' side edge Tottenham in rain-soaked north London derby
Arsenal dig themselves out of a hole as Russo holds nerve from the spot
Alessia Russo's second-half penalty delivered relief, a reprieve and a chance for a reset as Arsenal came from a goal down to earn a precious second win of the WSL season in the north London derby at a rain-lashed Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Gunners were again their own worst enemy, forced to come from behind after Cathinka Tandberg's headed opener, before Georgia Stanway levelled and Russo powered in the penalty that gave them the lead they protected defiantly.
With the pressure building on Renée Slegers and her Arsenal players after five games without a win, at times it felt like they were trying to disprove the phrase “you can't dig yourself out of a hole”.
Familiar failings, then a turning point
Arsenal had looked a little shaky in the opening few minutes but they settled, built possession and started to pose a threat. A failure to carve out clear-cut chances and capitalise on any period of dominance has been the running theme of their season. They lacked fight and there was sloppiness too, with too many overhit passes putting the ball out of play or gifting possession to their opponents.
That the opener came from a Tottenham corner was unsurprising then. Victoria Pelova swung the ball in and Tandberg rose above her two markers, Stanway and Emily Fox, who failed to even rise and challenge, and headed home.
Spurs' joy was short lived, however, as Stanway made up for her marking error four minutes later by arriving to meet Russo's cut back and powered the ball in off the crossbar. Arsenal continued to keep the ball and probe, but failed to find another opening in the first half.
Sombath stretchered off after lengthy stoppage
After the break there was concern for Tottenham when Alice Sombath's leg seemed to twist awkwardly as she stretched for the ball and the club's record signing left on a stretcher. She was replaced by Ella Morris, who made her return from an anterior cruciate ligament injury towards the end of last season.
After the lengthy stoppage, Russo forced a huge save from Lize Kop as she attempted to turn in Caitlin Foord's cross from close range, and the forward put her hands to her head and screamed in frustration at the missed opportunity.
From frustration to elation
It didn't take long for that frustration to transform into elation, though. The resulting corner from Kyra Cooney-Cross was headed on by Leah Williamson at the near post and Lisa Baum's effort came back off the post. Spurs' clearance bounced off the raised arm of Morris and the referee pointed to the spot.
After sending Kop the wrong way and driving the ball low into the corner, Russo raced to the large corner of Arsenal fans and leapt into the air in an emphatic celebration. Now Slegers and her players need a run of form and luck in their games against Benfica, Aston Villa and Liverpool before the trickier trio of Barcelona, London City Lionesses and OL Lyonnes.
Injury list compounds Arsenal's difficult start
The win arrives amid a punishing spell for Slegers' squad. Mariona Caldentey was ruled out for up to 10 weeks with a hamstring injury, and Arsenal have also been without England forward Chloe Kelly, while German summer signing Selina Cerci has undergone knee surgery after a problem that had been troubling her worsened.
Slegers has previously sought to absorb the pressure herself during a poor start to the WSL campaign, saying her players need freedom to solve the low-block problems they have faced. This derby win — only their second of the season — offers the chance to reset before a demanding run of fixtures.