Tottenham Women 1-2 Arsenal: Alessia Russo penalty settles derby and ends five-game WSL winless run

Alessia Russo scored the winner as Arsenal came from behind to beat Tottenham 2-1 and end their five-match winless run in the Women’s Super League.

Cathinka Tandberg headed Spurs ahead at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but Georgia Stanway equalised before Russo’s second-half penalty completed the turnaround.

The victory lifted Renée Slegers’ side to sixth at full-time, according to Sky Sports’ match report, and delivered a much-needed response after a difficult opening to the campaign.

Stanway answers Tottenham’s early goal

Tandberg’s header from Victoria Pelova’s corner put Tottenham in front, leaving Arsenal chasing another match.

Their response was swift. Russo supplied the cutback and Stanway struck an equaliser that went in off the crossbar, bringing the visitors level before the interval.

Russo then decided the contest from the spot after the ball struck Ella Morris’s raised arm. The England forward sent Lize Kop the wrong way to complete Arsenal’s comeback, as detailed in the Guardian’s derby report.

Arsenal finally turn a comeback into three points

Arsenal had also recovered from behind in their 1-1 draw with Birmingham City a week earlier, when Olivia Smith’s equaliser could not prevent their winless league sequence reaching five matches.

This time, they found the second goal and protected their advantage.

The result takes Arsenal to nine points from seven league games. Having collected only three points across the previous five fixtures, they matched that return in one afternoon against their local rivals.

Our analysis of Arsenal’s winless run examined their difficulty converting attacking pressure into victories and the cost of repeatedly conceding first. Falling behind again means those concerns cannot be dismissed, but the derby provided a tangible improvement in the outcome.

Third successive defeat for Spurs

Tottenham’s early lead offered the prospect of a response to their recent setbacks, but they instead suffered a third consecutive league defeat.

Their afternoon also brought concern for Alice Sombath, who was taken off on a stretcher. The extent of her injury was not confirmed in the reports available at full-time.

For Arsenal, the immediate achievement is clear: a league victory after five unsuccessful attempts, secured away to Tottenham. Sustaining that recovery is the next task for Slegers’ side.