Tottenham Women ace Lize Kop shines in heavy defeat v Arsenal Women
Lize Kop was a rare shining light for Tottenham Women against Arsenal Women on Sunday.
After their 1-0 defeat to Manchester United Women in the Barclays Women’s Super League at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday 2 February, Robert Vilahamn’s side would have been keen to bounce back.
There had been some positivity among the group over the last week with a young Tottenham Women duo making an impact for England’s Under-17s.
However, the first team failed to make any impact of their own against the Gunners, losing 5-0 at the Emirates in the WSL on Sunday (16 February).
Vilahamn would have no doubt been disappointed, especially as strikers Jessica Naz and Beth England were hardly able to get into the match. However, there was one small positive at the other end of the pitch, with Kop shining between the sticks despite conceding five times.
Lize Kop shines for Tottenham Women v Arsenal Women
When a goalkeeper concedes five times, they can rarely leave the pitch with their head held high. However, that is exactly what Kop could do after her performance against Arsenal.
Despite only recently joining Tottenham, Kop has already demonstrated that she can be a quality option for Vilahamn in the years to come, something which she once again showcased on Sunday.
Arsenal dominated proceedings in the North London Derby, registering a staggering 27 shots at goal compared to Spurs’ six, while creating four big chances [Sofascore].
Therefore, Kop was always going to struggle to keep a clean sheet, and if anything, she did well to keep the score down to 5-0. The 26-year-old made eight saves, all from inside the box, and two high claims.
She also looked to play out where she could, completing 77 per cent of her passes and providing three accurate long balls, while also making a clearance and winning 100 per cent of her aerial duels.
Robert Vilahamn has strong goalkeeping options at Tottenham
Ahead of Kop’s arrival at the club, Eleanor Heeps was making quite the impact on the first team.
Therefore, while it might seem harsh that she has been dropped to the bench, it at least means Vilahamn has two quality goalkeepers in his squad.
However, unless the defenders in front of them can perform better, there is only so much Kop and Heeps can do.