Arsenal claim massive 3 points at Tottenham but questions still remain

Arsenal claim massive 3 points at Tottenham but questions still remain Arsenal finally found the response they badly needed away to Tottenham, with a 2-1 north London derby win offering some encouragement after a difficult start to the season. Photo by Paul Harding/Getty Images Arsenal finally snapped out of their negative run with a huge 2-1 away win at Tottenham Hotspur . It was a must-win game, with Renée Slegers under pressure following an awful start to the season. There were some interesting choices in the starting XI. Taylor Hinds was selected ahead of Ona Batlle at left-back. The left-footed defender did not disappoint and put in an excellent performance. Caitlin Foord started on the left wing and got the Player of the Match award, rightly so. Photo by Paul Harding/Getty Images Steph Catley returned at left centre-back, which meant two left-footed players on the left side of the defence and a better balance. Olivia Smith started at centre-forward, with Alessia Russo in behind her. That experiment was successful last season, but Smith was not especially effective, in much the same way Stina Blackstenius has not been when paired with Russo this season. Nevertheless, Russo had a great game, assisting Georgia Stanway and scoring the winning penalty. So that attacking pairing did work, in its own way. Photo by Paul Harding/Getty Images With the current level of injuries , Slegers did not need to leave anyone out of the 20-player matchday squad and actually named three goalkeepers. Arsenal’s fourth and fifth-choice goalkeepers were in the stands and were seen singing North London Forever alongside the fans after the game. Considering the pressure going into the north London derby, a win is a huge positive, even if some things still did not work particularly well. The response after going 1-0 down through poor set-piece defending was especially pleasing. The flowing move for the equaliser was the sort of football we have rarely seen over the past two months. There was also an improvement in Arsenal’s attacking play against a low block, particularly when it came to breaking lines through central areas. We saw far more moves through the middle which led to chances being created. For the second goal, there was an element of luck involved after the referee awarded a penalty for a Morris handball. She had both arms in an unnatural position, raised in the air for no obvious reason. The rules can say that is handball, but they can also be interpreted in a way which says it is not. That grey area remains a big problem for refereeing because it leaves you with very little consistency. Russo scored the penalty and Arsenal managed to hang on for the win. Photo by Paul Harding/Getty Images That victory was crucial because most of the other WSL results on Sunday went Arsenal’s way. The Gunners are now sixth and have taken points off every team above them except Chelsea . London City Lionesses drew at Liverpool , Spurs obviously lost at home and the Manchester derby also ended in a draw. It means Arsenal are now 10 points off the top two, Chelsea and Manchester City . Any title hopes are obviously gone. They are seven points behind third-placed London City Lionesses, two behind Manchester United and one behind Spurs. The next three games are all winnable and all must-win: at home to Benfica , at home to Aston Villa and away to Liverpool. Nine points are needed to stay in contention for third place in the WSL and the top four in the Champions League , with Arsenal currently fifth in the league phase. Then, comes three make-or-break games which could define the club’s season: away to Barcelona , at home to London City Lionesses and at home to OL Lyonnes . Those are three huge games which will demand plenty of energy, collective quality and individual quality if Arsenal are to perform at their best. The London City game will be key to keeping hopes of third place alive, while the Barcelona and Lyon matches will provide a clear test of whether the team have recovered from their early-season problems and can compete at the elite European level. So, while the win away to Spurs is very welcome, there is also a need to recognise that much tougher tests are coming. The team are recovering slowly but surely, yet things still feel fragile and that progress needs to be consolidated. I am glad the club did not pull the trigger on the manager despite the poor results, because hopefully Slegers can turn things around. If she cannot, she will still leave having won the two biggest club trophies any European team can win so far: the UEFA Women’s Champions League and the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup . 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