Summary of the latest WSL matches: Arsenal narrowly defeats Tottenham in the North London Derby with Alessia Russo netting the lone goal.

LONDON, ENGLAND – Arsenal emerged victorious in the early kick-off on Sunday in the Women’s Super League, securing a 1-0 win over their rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the highly anticipated North London derby. The match took place at a packed Emirates Stadium, creating an electric atmosphere for the players.

It was Alessia Russo who proved to be the difference between the two sides, scoring a brilliant goal with her instinctive strike. The Gunners, who were in desperate need of a win to stay in the title race, dominated the first half of the game, constantly putting pressure on the Spurs defense. However, the visitors posed a threat on the counter-attack.

Despite numerous chances for both teams, the first half ended goalless. The breakthrough finally came in the second half, and it was well worth the wait. Kim Little delivered a delightful floated pass to Beth Mead at the far post, who controlled the ball with an excellent touch. Although Mead couldn’t get a shot away due to the pressure from the Spurs defender, she managed to force the ball to Russo, who fired it home from point-blank range.

This goal marked Mead’s 40th assist for Arsenal, making her the record holder for the most assists in the division’s history for a single club. Following the goal, Tottenham made a triple substitution in an attempt to find an equalizer. Arsenal, on the other hand, believed they should have been awarded a penalty when Katie McCabe was brought down in the Tottenham box, but their appeals were denied.

With 20 minutes left to play, Spurs introduced Beth England to strengthen their attack. They had their best period of the match after Russo’s goal and continued to press, even during the seven minutes of stoppage time. England came agonizingly close to scoring, but ultimately, Tottenham couldn’t find an equalizer and suffered a defeat.

After a strong start to the season, Spurs have slipped into mid-table and can only watch as their rivals remain hot on the heels of league leaders Manchester City. As for Arsenal, they have an FA Cup tie against Aston Villa on the horizon before facing a mouth-watering clash against Chelsea in mid-March.

Speaking to BBC Two after the match, Kim Little expressed confidence in Arsenal’s potential title challenge. She stated, “I think so, we spoke about this next block. If we do what we can, we can get into a final and then maybe go level on points. We need to turn up in those big games.”