It was not a moment of great quality that won this match, but it was not a game of great quality either, and Tottenham hardly cared as they celebrated coming back from a goal down to qualify for the first women’s FA Cup final of their history. With two minutes of extra time remaining Olga Ahtinen’s corner was half cleared, Matilda Vinberg sent it back in, it was flicked on at the near post and finally the Leicester defender Aileen Whelan headed it into the side of Martha Thomas’s face, off which the ball looped beyond Lize Kop and into the net.
Finally the great majority of the 18,078 fans in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium were back on their feet. Most had been issued with Spurs flags on their way in, and a few hours earlier had created an inspiring spectacle as they waved them in the late morning sunshine as the players entered the field. Leicester laid on six coaches to bring their fans to London, one of whom had brought an impressively large and resonant drum, but if at first they filled a single forlornly flag-free block it would not take long for the Foxes to curb home fans’ enthusiasm.
