Bristol City 0-1 Spurs, Women’s League Cup | Ho’s verdict
Sun 23 November 2025, 18:45|
Tottenham Hotspur
Martin Ho was pleased with his players’ performance as a 1-0 win at Bristol City secured our spot in the quarter-final of the Subway Women’s League Cup.
Although both sides couldn’t be separated in the first half after a cagey affair at Robins High Performance Centre, it took us less than a minute after the restart to break the deadlock as Martha Thomas opened her account for the season on her first start of the campaign.
We were unable to add a second, despite hitting the woodwork and forcing Naomi Williams into a number of saves, but we withstood any late pressure from the Robins to see out the game – securing our third successive clean sheet in the competition.
The win on the southwest saw us top our group and book our spot in the final eight of the competition, with the draw taking place on Tuesday (25 November) evening.
“Overall, it was a pleasing performance. A win, a clean sheet, and into the quarter-final,” Ho told us, speaking to SPURSPLAY after the game. “I think first half, with the ball, we were fine. We created numerous chances, hit the post, and had some really good crosses from both the right and left, getting in behind the back line. We just didn’t quite get on the end of them.
“We had some really good build-up play at times, but off the ball we were maybe a little bit loose defensively and gave them too much space in transition. In the second half, we showed more - more competitiveness, more aggression, more front-footed play and more like us. With the ball, again, we created numerous opportunities. There were a few loose passes that allowed them a couple of transition moments.
“[It was] really important [Martha's goal straight after the break]. You want a goal that relaxes the players a little bit, and it was deserved after the first half performance, especially with the ball. It took the shackles off a bit and allowed us to play with more freedom. The players knew they had to win the game today - they knew they had to come up with something to go through. So, I’m glad they did, and Martha took her finish well.”
On Martha grabbing her goal, he added: “It’s important. You want different goal scorers, and Martha was in the right place at the right time today to finish. She had some other really good moments in the first half and second half as well. She’s worked hard, she’s getting herself into the right positions, and she deserved that goal.”
