Stunning Walsh strike extends Chelsea's unbeaten league run
At a glance
Defending champions Chelsea get first win in three games
Keira Walsh's stunning strike breaks deadlock in second half
Tottenham suffer second defeat of the season
Chelsea extend unbeaten WSL run to 31 matches
Chelsea posted their first win in three matches as the reigning champions defeated Tottenham in the Women's Super League at Kingsmeadow.
Sonia Bompastor's side, who were held to draws by Manchester United last weekend and Twente in the Champions League, were frustrated by Spurs despite dominating the first half.
But the Blues secured a much-needed three points courtesy of a stunning second-half strike from Keira Walsh - the England midfielder's first goal for the club and first in the WSL since 2021.
Chelsea set the tone early as club record signing Alyssa Thompson flashed an effort wide from the left, before Nathalie Bjorn headed wide from the first of 13 corner kicks the hosts won in the first half.
With the defending champions once again struggling to convert in front of the goal, their best chance of the half fell to Wieke Kaptein, who failed to turn in a cross from Johanna Rytting Kaneryd when unmarked in front of the goal.
Thompson tested Spurs keeper Lize Kop with a fierce shot soon after the restart, while Ellie Carpenter's effort from distance sailed inches over.
When Walsh's right-foot effort from range finally beat Kop and nestled into the bottom corner, it was Chelsea's 23rd effort of the game.
The victory moved them to 16 points from six matches at the top of the table, while Tottenham are now four points back.
Chelsea analysis: Blues battle to extend unbeaten run
Sometimes all you need is to do enough to win.
And that is exactly what Chelsea did here, even though it was once again far from one of their usual slick performances.
But after dropping points in the WSL and Europe in the past week, boss Bompastor will hope the hard-fought victory against Spurs will restore some of their confidence and momentum.
Her side had 67% of the possession and attempted 27 shots on Sunday, but only four were on target as they lacked that decisive final pass and finishing in the final third yet again.
But for all the talk of a slump in form, Chelsea are now unbeaten in 31 WSL games, matching the second longest unbeaten run in the competition's history set by Manchester City between May 2015 and May 2017 (W25 D6).
They will fancy breaking their own all-time record of 33 games unbeaten with fixtures against London City Lionesses, Arsenal and Liverpool to follow in November.
There was another reason for the Blues faithful to cheer as experienced England defender Lucy Bronze made a late cameo to close out the victory.
It was her first involvement since the Euro 2025 final when the Lionesses defended their title and the 33-year-old revealed she had played the entire tournament with a fractured leg.
Chelsea might not have turned on the style against Spurs, but in grinding out an important win, this was yet another reminder of why they have won the WSL title for the past six seasons.
Tottenham analysis: Gap still shows to top teams
Tottenham supporters will take plenty of encouragement from their team's progress, even if their latest test against Chelsea ended in a defeat.
At the start of the campaign, few would have expected Spurs to be sitting just a point behind the champions going into this fixture.
Under new manager Martin Ho, they have made a fast start in the WSL, winning four of their first six games while showing a level of organisation and belief that was often missing last season.
It has been a dramatic transformation under the former Manchester United and Everton assistant for a side who managed only five wins across the whole of their previous league campaign.
Improvement was evident again at Kingsmeadow, despite the loss.
Spurs showed discipline and defiance in a first half where Chelsea were relentless, recording 15 shots and 13 corners.
While the visitors spent most of the game pinned inside their own half and offered little going forward, they limited their dominant hosts to few real chances.
Pressure finally told when Walsh escaped the attention of Spurs captain Bethany England and produced a moment of brilliance to seal a narrow success.
But for a side at the start of their journey under a new manager, this was another reminder of how far Spurs have come - and how much they still have to improve if they are to compete with the league's top teams.
What's next for these teams?
Chelsea will return to Champions League action on Wednesday, 15 October (20:00 BST) when they welcome Paris FC to Stamford Bridge, still looking for their first win in Europe.
Tottenham, meanwhile, will host Birmingham City in their second Women's League Cup Group E outing on Sunday, 19 October (14:00 BST).
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