Tottenham avoided back-to-back defeats in the Women’s Super League with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over 11th-placed West Ham at Chigwell Construction Stadium.
The hosts took the lead against the run of play, with forward Shekiera Martinez tapping in from close range to finish off a fluid counter-attacking move kickstarted by Viviane Asseyi.
Asseyi, who was making her 100th appearance for the club, skipped past Tottenham defender Josefine Rybrink before finding team-mate Leila Wandeler, who delivered the ball on a plate with a low cross to Martinez at the back post.
West Ham went close again, with Wandeler fizzing in another dangerous ball and Asseyi directing a shot towards goal, forcing Lize Kop to make a point-blank save and Toko Koga to make a clearance off the line.
The hosts were happy to sit deep and defend from the start, opting to pick and choose their moments to attack Tottenham’s high defensive line, but that invited pressure from the visitors.
However, Martin Ho’s side posed little danger in the first 45 minutes. They had 69% possession and managed 12 shots, but none of them found the target.
The second half was a different story for Tottenham, though, with Matilda Vinberg netting a long-range effort from 25 yards into the top right corner to level things up.
It was the Sweden international’s first league goal of the season, after returning to Ho’s starting line-up following a 2-0 defeat by bottom side Liverpool last weekend.
Tottenham took the lead when Olivia Holdt reacted quickest to a loose ball and fired in a screamer from just outside the box.
The winner stemmed from a mistake by West Ham’s new signing Tuva Hansen, who was put under pressure on her debut by Amanda Nilden and misplaced a pass straight to Holdt.
Tottenham midfielder Drew Spence was shown a red card in stoppage time for a high studs-up challenge on Riko Ueki.
Victory maintains Tottenham’s push for a top-four spot, while West Ham remain one point above bottom side Liverpool following their 3-1 defeat by Manchester United.
