Key events
45 + 3 min: Nilden is stretchered off, her hands are on her head. Hamano came across to see if she is okay, nice sportsmanship there. Grant is now on.
45 + 1 min: There will be four minutes added. Nilden was on the deck for quite a whole and eventually get back to her feet with some help from Neville. She is soon sat back on the pitch, this doesn’t look good.
44 min: Reiten pops it into the area but it’s too high and Hamano cannot connect. Nilden was defending Hamano and she landed awkwardly, she needs treatment.
43 min: Chelsea are pressing for a second before half-time but a pass has too much on it and Spurs can clear with a goal kick.
41 min: Beever-Jones wins a free kick from a foul from Spence, it is on the halfway line and so they will have to build from deep. They run it back to Musovic and they launch an attack but Spurs eventually win it back.
39 min: Hamano looks ecstatic to have her first goal. Reiten whipped it into the box and Hamano takes a first touch finish. Gilly Flaherty on comms is saying James-Turner is not getting close enough to Macario when Chelsea attack.
GOAL! Tottenham 0-1 Chelsea (Hamano, 37′)
Hamano has her first Blues goal.
36 min: After all of Chelsea’s early pressure they have nothing to show for it and the Blues don’t seem as dominant in the last 10 minutes. Spurs have really settled into this one and are doing enough to contain the defending champions at the moment. Another example there with Macario taking a punt at goal with Votikova saving easily.
34 min: England manager Sarina Wiegman is watching on from the stands here. A good period of possession for Spurs here but they haven’t done much with it.
32 min: A scrappy but of play in the box and Chelsea try to break the deadlock. There is a bit of miscommunication between the Tottenham defenders and goalkeeper but Votikova eventually collects.
30 min: Reiten finds Cuthbert but she is muscled off the ball, Chelsea have everything but the final touch and shot so far. A reminder that Chelsea need to win this match to keep their title hopes alive. It would still be possible for Chelsea to win but their chances would be severely diminished.
28 min: Tottenham give away another free kick, this time on the opposite side of the box. The same Chelsea players are over it, Reiten send sit in this time but Spurs manage to clear it. When the camera zoomed in on Macario’s face it shows she is bleeding. I don’t know how she got the scratch but it looks painful.
26 min: Buhler fouls Beever-Jones and Chelsea have a free kick in a good position. Macario and Reiten are standing over the set piece ball but it is Macario who takes it. The delivery is poor as it has too much on it and it’s out for a goal kick. A wasted opportunity.
24 min: Clinton has a worldie of a turn to continue Spurs’ attack but the shot she then takes it miles off target. Both sides have had opportunities but lack the killer edge to break the deadlock.
22 min: How has Reiten not scored? She finds space, takes a few touches but James-Turner has a great intervention to prevent a goal. I am aware I just answered my own question.
20 min: The ball drops to Cuthbert and the fans in the crowd urge her to shoot, she takes their advice but the long range shot is collected by Votikova. The Blues keep creating chances but their execution is not there, this time Reiten is found in the box but her shot is miles over the bar.
18 min: Spurs’ press is really suffocating Chelsea’s attack at the moment. The players do not have enough time to think about their pass and they are being forced backwards.
17 min: Naz has some space by the halfway line and instead of passing to her teammate she takes a long range effort but Musovic is able to save.
15 min: Reiten works the ball around Neville expertly and she lays it off but no Chelsea player is there to pick it up. Chelsea come forward again and Charles has a great run, she pops it into the area but her header is over the bar. That should have been 1-0.
13 min: England has a superb ball for Naz but she mistimes her run and she is offside, if that came off it would have been a great opportunity for Tottenham. There is no sign of the FA Cup final hurt in their performance at the moment.
11 min: On the replay there is handball but it would have been slightly harsh I think if a penalty was given. But I can also see why the Chelsea players are feeling aggrieved. England is down with injury here and she takes a breather but she is okay to continue, she didn’t need treatment.
9 min: Chelsea players all erupt as they believe there was handball and they wanted a penalty but it is not given by referee Emily Heaslip. There is no VAR in operation and so we play on.
8 min: Charles has a great run down the left and it is popped into the area, it’s a good ball but Spurs do really well to track it and clear. The visitors are slowly growing into this game and Reiten gets it into the box again but it is over the head of Beever-Jones.
6 min: It looked as though Spurs had found some space with Naz’ fast pace but she is judged offside. From the free kick Chelsea launch an attack, they are patient with their build-up but Reiten passes to Beever-Jones. She gets a shot away but Votikova is strong again.
4 min: Tottenham are pressing Chelsea and so far it is paying off, a loose pass is picked up by England. Spurs try to unleash an attack but Bright cuts it out. The captain finds Macario who pops in a long range effort but Votikova saves quite easily. Both finding their feet in this one.
2 min: Naz tries to ignite something early doors but it us out for a Chelsea throw. The Blues then clear. It has been quite a week for Naz as she was called up for the England squad as a reserve.
Kick-off! Tottenham 0-0 Chelsea
Here we go then. Can Chelsea continue their charge for the title? Or will Tottenham have a say? All to come.
Have you been reading our free weekly women’s football newsletter, Moving the Goalposts? If not I would recommend signing up, it delivers interviews and global news with it dropping into you inbox with no further spam. This week Rikke Sevecke has written about her retirement because of a heart condition:
The transfer window is just around the corner and I am wondering which player you would like your club to sign this summer. Let me know via email or X (@rendellx). Of course snack chat emails are also welcome!
The title race is really hotting up, if Chelsea lose tonight it is hard to see them lifting the trophy on Saturday. However, it would still be possible. They would need to beat Manchester United on the last day of the season and for Aston Villa to defeat Manchester City. The title would then be decided on goal difference.
If Chelsea win tonight, it would be enough to lift the trophy either. They would still need to go for the win against United. If they lost to United and City beat Aston Villa then Gareth Taylor’s side would win the trophy.
If Chelsea and Man City win all of their remaining games the title will be decided on goal difference. Chelsea are currently +1 in goal difference.
“Now it’s City fans watching Tottenham midweek,” Zach Neeley emails after Arsenal fans tuned in to watch City’s men take on Spurs last night. “Hoping they’ll get a win against their title rivals. I think they should probably have the same low hopes that Arsenal fans had yesterday.”
Spurs manager Robert Vilahamn has said: “We had a really good performance against Chelsea in the first game of the season and, now, we are here in the second to last game of the campaign, so it will be good to see how we compete against them because, when they have a good day, they are probably one of the top four sides in the world.
“We want to try to compete and go for the win, but we also accept that, sometimes, we might need to defend.”
This is Emma Hayes’ final week at Chelsea as she will depart this summer to become the new head coach of the USWNT. She has said: “I’m going to enjoy being in this position. You don’t often get into a position where you are competing for a title going into the last two games of a season. For those of us who have won titles, we know how hard it is.
“I’m happy to be in the position we’re in. I know we have two tough games but I’m looking forward to them.”
Tottenham fullback Charli Grant has defended her Australia teammate and best friend Kyra Cooney-Cross this week after a picture emerged of the Arsenal player wearing a Spurs scarf. She was wearing it at the FA Cup final where she was supporting her friend. Full story:
One of the biggest stories in the WSL this week has been Arsenal announcing Vivianne Miedema will leave the club on a free this summer. It has been reported the club did not offer the Gunners legend a new deal. All the details are here:
The team news is here. Tottenham have kept their side largely the same from the Women’s FA Cup final but one notable change is the goalkeeper. Votikova starts ahead of Spencer.
Tottenham:
For Chelsea, Macario starts with James on the bench. Musovic also starts in goal ahead of Hampton.
Chelsea:
Preamble
Hello and welcome back to our Women’s Super League coverage. Tonight we focus on a game which could help determine the winner of this season’s league as Chelsea take on Tottenham.
The match is the game in hand Chelsea have because of their Women’s Champions League run, which was ended by Barcelona in the semi-finals. The Blues currently trail Manchester City by three points at the top of the table. If Emma Hayes’ team beat Spurs this evening they would go top of the table, sharing the same points as City but ahead on goal difference.
Tottenham, meanwhile, are looking to bounce from their Women’s FA Cup final defeat to Manchester United. They were defeated 4-0 at Wembley last Sunday and so it is a quick turnaround for this match. Despite the emotional toll the final would have taken, they will be more than capable of causing an upset tonight.
Grace Clinton has been a star for Spurs this season but was unable to play in the final because she could not compete against parent club United. She will be among those hungry for a result this evening. We will find out if she is in the starting team shortly so stay tuned ahead of kick-off at 7.15pm BST.
