18 min: Redisch leaves the already-impressive Ayane in a heap by the left touchline and at current rate of knots we’ll surely get a booking or two soon.
Updated
17 min: Furness is Spurs’ main source of danger and it’s noticeable that, when the ball is played into her, she’s usually challenged instantly. For West Ham, Longhurst shoots straight at Spencer from range.
15 min: Now Furness wins Spurs a free-kick not far from the right corner of the area. It’s a good position from which Worm can float a ball in, but Flaherty heads away well.
13 min: Longhurst, a season ticket holder with the men’s team at this stadium, heads back calmly to Brosnan. Spurs continue to be slightly the more convincing. It’s absolutely teeming with rain now.
11 min: Ayane takes aim for Spurs from some 35 yards after running in from the left and it’s a good effort, only flying a yard or so over.
9 min: Spurs are enjoying the best of the possession, looking comfortable on the ball and playing it from side to side well.
6 min: Dean is late on Cho now. There’ve been some spicy tackles in these early stages! Everyone is keen to make their mark out there.
4 min: Thomas now tries to run towards the box but is tackled. West Ham keep attacking though, working the ball nicely down the left before the ball is crossed, and three attackers can’t quite reach it in the middle – Lehmann the last to try and make meaningful contact. Good, open start here.
3 min: Flaherty will be ok, for now at least. That was quite a whack but she has made a career out of being tough and wholehearted.
1 min: Graham shoots well wide for Spurs but should probably do better after running into space. Flaherty and Dean contested a thudding 50/50 challenge in the buildup, which led to the ball running loose, and the former needs treatment.
The teams are on their way out here, “I am blowing bubbles” rings out and the atmosphere is very lively.
Spurs miss the injured forward Gemma Davison here, and she’s a key player for them. Excitingly for everyone involved, though, there are suggestions we may see a crowd of around 20,000 today – which would be tremendous.
Elsewhere in the Women’s Super League Arsenal are crushing Brighton and Man City are narrowly ahead at Everton. Both those games have under 10 minutes left. Bristol City v Chelsea kicks off at 3pm. You can keep up with all the scores right here.
So Matt Beard makes three changes from West Ham’s most-recent WSL match, the 1-0 win at home to Birmingham a fortnight ago. Cecile Redisch Kvamme, Tessel Middag and the exiting 20-year-old Swiss striker, Alisha Lehmann, come into the starting XI. It’s a first WSL start for Norway defender Kvamme. Tottenham bring in Josie Green for Ashleigh Neville.
The teams
West Ham: Brosnan, Redisch Kvamme, Flaherty (c), Vetterlein, Baunach, Middag, Cho, Longhurst, Lehmann, Leon, Thomas.
Subs: Moorhouse, Simon, Hendrix, Kiernan, Galabadaarachchi, Dali.
Tottenham: Spencer, Percival, Godfrey, Filbey, Worm, Peplow, Green (C), Furness, Dean, Ayane, Graham.
Subs: Morgan, Wynne, Neville, Haines, McLean, Addison, Quinn.
Updated
Preamble
Women’s football is breaking new ground across the globe and today witnesses another piece of history when the London Stadium hosts its first WSL match. Tottenham, newly promoted and with nine new signings during the summer, arrive to face a West Ham side at full strength apart from the long-term injuries to Esmee de Graaf and Julia Simic.
Both teams have won one and lost one so far in the league this season but Tottenham beat the hosts 2-1 in a pre-season friendly at Rush Green Stadium. West Ham will be looking to turn up when it matters, in front of a big crowd, and with a strong rivalry between the London rivals we could be in for a derby cracker.
Kick-off: 2.30pm BST
