The Gunners travelled across London under pressure following a disappointing defeat in Europe on Wednesday, when they threw away a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 to Bayern Munich.
Already trailing their WSL title rivals, Arsenal’s underwhelming start to the campaign – especially off the back of winning the Champions League – has been damaging.
They needed to show a response, not just by picking up crucial points, but by putting in a performance against their local rivals that could signal the start of a reboot.
The first 10 minutes offered a little optimism as they settled quickly and dominated possession, but it was apparent early on that Tottenham were comfortable with the set-up.
A fizzing shot from midfielder Kyra Cooney-Cross – the only addition to the starting XI from Wednesday’s defeat – and an effort straight at goalkeeper Kop from Stina Blackstenius were the only half-chances of note from Arsenal in an uninspiring first half.
Renee Slegers needed to act and she made rare changes at the break, introducing record signing Smith and defender Taylor Hinds, and it made a difference.
Smith was explosive down Arsenal’s right-hand side, causing problems for Amanda Nilden and creating numerous chances that were squandered.
But despite her positive introduction, Arsenal could not find a way through Spurs’ resolute defence and a loose pass from goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar, which rolled out of play in stoppage time, summed up the performance from Slegers’ side.
It was the fifth game this season they have dropped points and they remain outside the Champions League qualification spots in fourth place after nine games.
“It’s hard at the moment. We can’t deny it. There’s also a lot of positives, but we’re not getting the wins that we want at the moment,” said Slegers.
“A club like Arsenal wants and needs to win. So it’s a frustrating period, but we still see enough to keep building on.
“We see that there’s things we can do that will turn it around for us because we believe that we have all this quality. That hasn’t just gone away all of a sudden.
“There’s different expectations off the back of last season and the success we had. That’s always playing a little role in the background, probably.”
