Rianna Dean’s second-half penalty proved to be the difference, but the Dutch defender believes Albion were hard done by with the decision to send off Lea Le Garrec.
She said, “I thought we showed so much character when we went one player down. You saw that Tottenham found it very hard to break us down, and it’s a shame that their goal came from a penalty. I’m really proud of the girls for the way they reacted.
“We cannot do anything about the referee’s decisions, but if you see it back [two yellow cards for Le Garrec], it’s ridiculous. I am struggling to find the words for it, as it has influenced the game and not in a good way.
“But I thought the penalty they got was the right decision. We gave them that and with ten players on the pitch, we can still be proud with how we reacted and I thought that we deserved more from the game.”
It’s a quick turnaround for Hope Powell’s side, who are next in action on Tuesday night against Crystal Palace in a Women’s FA Cup fifth round tie, and Kerkdijk says it is an ideal opportunity to consign this result to the past.
“We’re really looking forward to bouncing back from this result. It would mean a lot to go through, and we want to take what could be one more step to Wembley.
“I am looking forward to playing this cup game and showing how we can respond.”