Tottenham Hotspur 3–0 Bristol City on 22 November 2023

Rosella Ayane's first two goals of the season capped a dominant 3-0 home victory over Bristol City in the Continental Tyres League Cup on Wednesday night.

The forward produced two impressive finishes either side of half-time after winning the penalty from which Kit Graham fired us ahead, as our much-changed side made it two wins out of two in the competition to move to the top of Group D.

Indeed, Ayane was one of nine players brought into the starting line-up by Robert Vilahamn and the Head Coach will have been pleased with what he saw as we again produced an attacking performance that consigned Bristol City to their second defeat of the season at Brisbane Road after our 3-1 success in the Women's Super League at the start of October.

After a relatively quiet start from both teams, we took the lead in the 19th minute when Shelina Zadorsky's long ball over the top was controlled well by Ayane as she broke into the area, only for the forward to be dragged off the ball by Brooke Aspin. Graham converted the resulting penalty despite goalkeeper Benedicte Haaland - re-signed by the visitors this week as emergency cover - getting her hands to it.

Bristol City looked vulnerable whenever we played forward as we passed the ball through the lines superbly to get into dangerous areas, Jess Naz denied by a last-ditch tackle from Aspin on one such occasion. And Naz was involved in our second goal in the 28th minute as she tangled with Haaland at the right-hand edge of the box, with Ayane collecting the loose ball and producing an excellent, pinpoint finish into the empty net from a very tight angle on that side.

Linyan Zhang was denied by Haaland a couple of times while Naz could have netted our third in the lead-up to the break when she found herself in possession 20 yards out with the keeper rushing towards her, but she lifted her attempted lob over the crossbar.

Bristol City tested Barbora Votikova a little more in the second half with a couple of efforts from distance, albeit nothing to really trouble her, while Graham almost caught Haaland out from long range at the other end, the keeper scrambling the ball wide down to her left. Graham started the move that led to our third goal 18 minutes from time, passing in to the feet of the lively Ramona Petzelberger at the edge of the box, who duly fed Ayane as she burst into the area with the forward again applying a composed finish to round off the scoring.

There followed a debut for Academy player Milly Boughton at right-back but we still had to be alert as Mari Ward advanced into our box a couple of times, first denied by a good block from captain Amy Turner and then dragging a shot across goal and wide in the closing moments. The final say went to Petzelberger, who spotted Haaland off her line and tried to lob her from distance, but the ball sailed marginally wide in what ended up being the last action of the game.