Tottenham Women boost as Ashleigh Neville returns from injury against Arsenal Women
Tottenham Women couldn’t repeat their heroics from December against Arsenal Women on Sunday 2 March, but were boosted by the return of one first-team player.
Spurs’ ladies made history when they defeated the Gunners for the first ever time with a 1-0 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday 16 December.
Things were set to be slightly more difficult this time around as they made the short trip across North London to the Emirates for the third North London derby of the season on Sunday 3 March.
In front of over 60,000 supporters, Arsenal claimed a narrow 1-0 win over their fiercest rivals in the Barclays Women’s Super League.
Spurs had some fantastic opportunities in the first half, with Jessica Naz going closest as she struck the crossbar, but in the end, Alessia Russo’s second-half strike proved to be the difference.
Despite the defeat, there were plenty of positives Robert Vilahamn could take from the match, including the return of Ashleigh Neville.
Ashleigh Neville has been a key player for Tottenham Hotspur Women under Robert Vilahamn
Neville has been sidelined with an ankle injury in recent weeks, last featuring in the 4-3 win over West Ham United Women on 21 January.
However, she was able to return just in time for the North London derby and was named in the starting lineup ahead of kickoff.
Neville completed 61 minutes before she was withdrawn, and reminded everyone of her quality during her time on the pitch.
As per Sofascore, the right-back made four tackles and seven clearances while she also won four of her six ground duels.
She only gave possession away three times and also completed 86 per cent of her passes.
Vilahamn will be delighted to have his defender back, and Neville could prove to be a key player between now and the end of the season as Tottenham look to finish the 2023/24 campaign on a high.
In other Tottenham news, a doctor has provided a positive injury update on one Spurs star ahead of the trip to Aston Villa.
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