Tottenham ease to 4-0 victory
Pompey Ladies suffered a comprehensive defeat against Tottenham in their final fixture of 2016.
But it was always going to be tough for Jay Sadler’s troops, as they faced the side sitting top of the Premier League Southern Division table.
The Londoners have won 18 of their 19 matches in all competitions so far this season and are still chasing glory on five fronts.
A top-half finish will be the target for the Blues – who are also still involved in the Women’s FA Cup and Hampshire Cup – in the second half of the campaign.
But it will take some effort for Spurs to be caught in the race for the title on the basis of this performance at Cheshunt.
All four of the goals arrived in a blistering opening 18 minutes, with the hosts threatening to run riot against a shell-shocked Pompey.
Melissa Burns was called into action early on to deny Sophie Mclean, only for Tottenham to break the deadlock from the resulting corner.
Bianca Baptiste delivered a cross to the near post, where Lucia Leon was waiting to guide the ball into the net.
And the advantage was soon doubled when Kelley Blanchflower followed up to convert after Nikita Whinnet’s initial effort had been parried clear.
The same player netted again moments later, latching onto an incisive Baptiste pass and neatly dinking over a helpless Burns.
It was Baptiste who then effectively wrapped up the points with a low finish into the corner following a ball over the top by Renee Hector.
Spurs did not simply sit on their commanding lead, however, and it took fine saves from Burns to deny both Baptiste and Blanchflower.
And Pompey were denied a goal of their own just before the break when Megen Lynch somehow managed to claw away Katie James’ shot.
The visitors were better after the break and restricted their hosts to fewer clear-cut opportunities, although Burns’ palms were stung by a fierce Baptiste drive.
And it took a superb last-gasp clearance from Rebekah Tonks to prevent Josie Green from adding her name to the scoresheet.
But the Blues were unable to carve out many openings of their own at the other end, as hopes of an unlikely comeback – or at least a consolation for their efforts – fell flat.
Pompey: Burns, Capel-Watson, Currie, Tonks, Bazan (Kirby 69), Kempson, Sievwright, Stephens (Carleton 74), Hillier (c), James (Peck 80), Quayle
Sub not used: Bell