'up To Players To Decide Our Limit' - London City Dream Big

When nan last whistle yet blew astatine Hayes Lane connected Sunday, location was a consciousness that thing had shifted successful nan cognition of London City Lionesses.

Their thrilling 4-2 triumph complete Tottenham felt for illustration not simply 3 points but a watershed infinitesimal successful London City's debut Women's Super League campaign.

It meant they climbed to nan apical half of nan array pinch 4 wins successful 8 matches.

They had already beaten Everton, Liverpool and West Ham - nan bottommost 3 - this season, but this was different.

Tottenham came into nan lucifer flying precocious - pinch 15 points collected from a imaginable 21 making for their champion ever commencement to a WSL campaign.

But nan promoted broadside matched them pinch poise, gait and intent of a squad that showed they beryllium successful nan large league, impressing not conscionable pinch nan consequence but besides nan mode successful which it was achieved.

So erstwhile an excruciatingly agelong play of stoppage clip was brought to an end, nan Lionesses knew they had achieved thing significant

Manager Jocelyn Precheur said of "a bully capacity that will springiness america nan assurance and nan power to support improving moreover more".

Freya Godfrey opened nan scoring early, while Nikita Parris struck successful her 200th WSL appearance, but Spurs clawed their measurement backmost connected some occasions done a Cathinka Tandberg punishment and an Eveliina Summanen free-kick.

A precocious ain extremity from Amanda Nilden helped nan hosts reclaim nan lead earlier a 2nd onslaught from Godfrey sealed nan win.

"It was an important crippled for america to determine which portion of nan array we tin enactment [in]," said erstwhile Paris St-Germain leader Precheur.

"I for illustration to spell crippled aft game. I don't for illustration to talk astir imagination and wherever we tin beryllium successful nan array astatine nan extremity of nan season. It's really important to support this dynamic.

"Despite nan truth that we're improving, I deliberation we're yet to execute our afloat potential. It's astir really we tin support improving again. This will springiness nan players nan power to support developing."

Precheur whitethorn steer clear of predictions, but his is simply a clear connection that London City tin transportation connected moving up successful nan world.

After splitting from Millwall successful 2019, London City were a fixture successful nan 2nd tier, but nan presence of American businesswoman Michele Kang, who bought nan nine erstwhile they were connected nan brink of liquidation successful precocious 2023, has seen their fortunes change.

Promoted successful May, what tin nan big-spending Lionesses spell connected to execute successful their debut top-flight season?

"We said from nan start, we're not present to conflict relegation, we're present to beryllium we're successful this convention now, we're not present to spell backmost down," said their two-goal leader Godfrey.

"We're present and we're present to compete."

Precheur added: "What are our limits this season? It's up to nan players to reply this question."

The only top-tier WSL broadside not to person an affiliated master men's team, London City were promoted arsenic winners of past season's Championship.

For now they beryllium sixth pinch 12 points - 9 points down leaders Manchester City and 8 down reigning champions Chelsea aft 8 rounds of games.

Manchester United are 3rd pinch 17 points, while rival superior outfits Arsenal and Tottenham are only 3 points amended disconnected that London City astatine this stage.

Victory against Tottenham was their 3rd consecutive triumph connected location soil, pinch each 4 of their wins coming against sides that vanished successful nan bottommost half of nan array past season.

All 4 of their defeats person travel against past season's apical 4 of Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City.

They could hardly beryllium trending immoderate much mid-table if they tried, but London City person higher aspirations.

Promoted sides person dropped consecutive backmost to nan 2nd tier successful nan past 2 seasons, pinch Bristol City and Crystal Palace finishing bottommost successful 2023-24 and 2024-25 respectively.

Not only are London City connected people to debar pursuing suit, their 12-point haul astatine this shape of nan play has only been bettered by 1 different promoted broadside successful WSL history.

That was Sunderland, who, pinch a young Beth Mead scoring goals for fun, collected 15 points aft 8 games during nan eight-team 2015 season. They vanished 4th - only collecting 5 much points successful their remaining six games.

Only 3 different promoted sides person collected 12 points astatine this stage: Manchester United and Tottenham successful 2019-20 and Manchester City - who were fixed a top-flight spot aft a reshuffle of nan leagues - successful 2014.

Godfrey said of nan eager Lionesses: "We've showed that we're not different squad that's going to get promoted and relegated nan adjacent year.

"The guidance this nine is looking to spell is up. We want to show this nine is going to beryllium a champion successful English shot for nan foreseeable future."

The prima of their latest triumph was undoubtedly Godfrey, who grabbed 2 goals and an assist.

They were nan 20-year-old's first goals for nan nine since her indebtedness move from Arsenal successful January which was made imperishable successful July.

Godfrey managed 3 assists successful 8 Championship appearances pursuing her switch, but it has taken her until November to denote herself successful nan apical formation aft missing nan first weeks of nan play pinch injury.

She is portion of a star-studded London City squad which boasts players for illustration Grace Geyoro, Parris, Danielle van de Donk, Katie Zelem and Kosovare Asllani.

Precheur ne'er had doubts astir Godfrey, who is already an England Under-23 world and surely destined for nan elder nationalist squad Lionesses earlier excessively long.

"When she arrived successful January, I saw her imaginable but she really lacked nan confidence," nan London City head said.

"As I told her galore times, it's normal to person a deficiency of assurance erstwhile you're a young player. I americium happy for her but I conscionable told her it's conscionable nan opening for her."