Report: Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Bristol City.

City were sunk by three first-half goals as Tottenham Hotspur took all three points away from Brisbane Road.

The Robins folied the Spurs until the half-hour mark before Olga Ahtinen beat City debutant Kaylan Marckese with a shot from outside the box.

Five minutes later Marckese – a replacement for the injured Fran Bentley – had a moment to forget when her clearance kick rebounded off Martha Thomas and back into the net.

Eviliina Summanen’s free-kick in the third minute of added-time before the break gave City an uphill task and though Amalie Thestrup scored her second penalty in as many games, City left East London empty-handed.

To their credit City never capitulated and Head Coach Lauren Smith can take that positive from a game in which they created goal-scoring chances beyond Summanen’s handball which led to the spot-kick.

Ffion Morgan almost opened the scoring in the eighth minute as she used her pace to bear down on goal but her shot was saved by Becky Spencer.

Spurs found their rhythm with Olga Ahtinen and Summanen shooting wide and Ashleigh Neville having a back-post header saved by Marckese, who also came out smartly to smother a through-ball.

Ahtinen fired the opener inside the post after 30 minutes and Thomas was the beneficiary when she closed down Marckese to put Spurs 2-0 up in a fuve-minute spell.

City had chances with Amy Rodgers shooting wide from a short free-kick and Carrie Jones scooping a close-range chance over the bar.

Then came a real blow as the first half clock counted down, Finnish international Summanen finding the top corner from a free-kick.

Undaunted, City enjoyed their best spell in the first 20 minutes after half-time, Jamie-Lee Napier glancing a header wide and Morgan having a shot saved by Spencer.

City’s pressure paid off in the 64th minute with Summanen handling in the box and Thestrup stepping up to give Spencer no chance with a rocket into the top of the net.

Smit made a double substitution in the 66^th minute with Rachel Furness and Mari Ward coming on for Megan Connolly and Ella Powell while, 10 minutes later Shania Hayles and Satara Murray replace for Thestrup and Brooke Aspin.

Murray got her head to a corner as City pressed for a second while, at the other end, Naomi Layzell cleared well over her bar and Marckese saved a long-range shot from Jessica Naz.

Team: Marckese (GK), Powell (Ward 66’), Aspin (Murray 78’), Layzell, Mustaki, Connolly (C, Furness 66’), Napier, Rodgers (Syme 88’, Jones, Thestrup (Hayles 78’), Morgan. Substitutes: Clark (GK), Struck, Bull, Simpson.