I've just about recoverd from the craziness of Aston Villa vs Spurs in the WSL. The 10-goal-thriller finished 3-7, but the visitors could, and should, have been 0-6 up by half time. Chance after chance came and went. Against Chelsea, that wastefulness cost them. Not so on Sunday.
Spurs ended the game with 28 shots, 12 on target and an xG of 5.26. Aston Villa boss Natalia Arroyo described her opponents as "ruthless and clinical," and the match as "cruel". The first two figures suggest things could have been even worse for the hosts. Despite this, it was the best attacking performance all season from Martin Ho's side, as the data from TwelveFootball's Earpiece show.
Miles ahead on chance creation and attacking transition. The only game with better attacking play was against West Ham earlier this month. Seeing Cathinka Tandberg come on and prove so effective up top was also really gratifying. Ho can enjoy some real competition up top.
These further data points show just what a dominant attacking display it was from Spurs, and how much better it was than their average showing. Speaking ahead of Monday's FA Cup match against London City Lionesses, Ho said he "was just pleased that we were able to capitalise on a lot of those opportunities we got."
The manager also revealed that he told his players "someone will be on the end of us scoring that many goals at some point because we are creating a lot of chances." Never satisfied, Ho added that, having reflected, he believes "there was still a lot of parts where we can be better and more influential with the ball."
In all the excitement, we cannot lose sight of what happened defensively. There is no way Spurs should have conceded three goals in this game. Indeed, Kirsty Hanson looked like she could score every time she went forward. Lize Kop should not have been beaten at the near post for the first goal. Clare Hunt and Tōko Koga have proven they can handle attacks far better than they. Ho refused to focus on why player for the defensive issues: "I thought we could have done it collectively a lot better."
It's hard to focus too much on the negative though, when you've gone on the road and scored seven times. This was a devastating performance that shows the levels Tottenham Hotspur Women might be capable of reaching.
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