Inessa Kaagman scored twice in the second half as Albion made it three successive wins in the Barclay’s FA Women’s Super League with victory over Spurs on Sunday.
The Dutch international produced two great finishes, one with her left foot and the second with her right, but Spurs had their moments too. Albion had to defend resiliently at times with both teams hitting the woodwork twice.
With the teams separated by just three points in mid-table a tight contest was expected and that’s how the first half panned out.
Albion looked to build attacks using Kaagman and Ellie Brazil in the wide areas, while Tottenham tried to utilise the pace of Rosella Ayane with balls in behind the home defence.
It was a lively first 45 and both sides had their moments.
Emma Koivisto, who always looked to get forward from left-back, found herself in the box in the 22nd minute but could only fire at keeper Aurora Mikelsen after a scramble in the six-yard box. Geum-Min Lee nearly got a touch onto Kaagman’s raking long ball and Tottenham defender Kit Graham had to clear the ball off the line after Mikelsen failed to claim Brazil’s right-wing cross.
But it was Spurs who had the best chance of the first half, a header from Shelina Zadorsky which was nodded off the line by Kaagman.
Emily Simpkins, who was involved in a clash of heads just before half-time, was replaced by Nora Heroum at the break.
Neither side offered much until the hour-mark when Zadorsky went close again, firing against the bar and then seeing her low shot when the ball fell loose diverted wide for a corner.
It was a let-off for Albion but they made the most of it, going in front in the 64th minute. Lee’s cross from the right has helped on by Brazil and Kaagman, in space 15 yards out, showed great technique to volley past Mikelsen and into the bottom corner.
Ten minutes later Kaagman made it 2-0, firing past Mikelsen with a powerful right-foot shot from 15 yards after again finding space in the box.
Tottenham thought they’d got back in the game but Siri Worm hit the post before Albion hit the bar twice in a matter of seconds. Heroum’s 20-yard strike came back off the bar to Megan Connolly, whose header beat Mikelsen but also came back off the frame of the goal.
Spurs hit the bar again in stoppage time when Graham was denied from 25 yards moments after Walsh had acrobatically turned Worm’s corner over her own crossbar, but it was Albion who took the points thanks to two clinical Kaagman finishes.
Albion: Walsh, Le Tissier, Kerkdijk, Williams ©, Koivisto, Whelan, Connolly, Kaagman (Heroum 45), Brazil, Simpkins, Lee (Jarrett 90). Unused subs: Fiskerstrand, Roe, Gibbons, Symonds, Olding, Bance.
Booked: Kerkdijk
Player of the match (chosen by Albion Chief Executive Paul Barber): Inessa Kaagman