Chelsea returned to winning ways with a crucial victory over Tottenham in the Women’s Super League to keep their hopes of finishing in the top three on track.
External noise had been building around Chelsea all week with the defending champions’ defeat by Manchester City leaving them 12 points adrift of the top.
Manager Sonia Bompastor came under pressure before the club announced on Friday that she had signed a contract extension, keeping her at Chelsea until 2030.
However, with some supporters still unconvinced, it was important her side delivered at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and consolidated their position.
England midfielder Keira Walsh put the Blues in front against the run of play in the first half, before Alyssa Thompson doubled their tally shortly after the restart.
It was a blow for Tottenham, who have exceeded expectations this season and were just a point behind Chelsea before kick-off.
They were the better side for the majority of the first half and hit the crossbar through Olivia Holdt.
However, Chelsea demonstrated their ruthless streak when it mattered most to ease the pressure after back-to-back defeats.
Tottenham analysis: Ho’s side impress but no reward
That Spurs were just a point behind Chelsea before kick-off was proof of their remarkable revival under manager Martin Ho and the progress they have made in a short time.
They finished second-bottom last season, sacking former boss Robert Vilahamn as a result, but have put themselves in a position to challenge for a Champions League spot.
They have been so entertaining this season that even legendary American singer Madonna was in the stands to watch, a day after two of her daughters played for Spurs in an under-14s match.
Chelsea were vulnerable after a damaging few weeks and Tottenham did not show any mercy, taking the game to the defending champions and causing them all sorts of problems in the first half.
After half an hour Tottenham had 11 shots to Chelsea’s three and hit the crossbar with a fizzing strike from Holdt.
January signing Signe Gaupset continued to show her quality and fellow new addition Julie Blakstad was a threat down Tottenham’s left side.
So, it came as a huge blow when Walsh rifled Chelsea in front against the run of play with six minutes of the first half remaining.
With the DJ playing a remix of Madonna’s song Vogue as the players left the pitch at half-time, Spurs needed a lift having got no reward for their efforts up to that point.
But it was Chelsea who struck again when Hanna Wijk’s lack of concentration allowed Sjoeke Nusken to sneak in behind the Tottenham defence and her shot rebounded to Thompson to make it 2-0.
The costly defeat harms Tottenham’s chances of gatecrashing the WSL’s traditional top four and sneaking into a European qualification spot.
However, there was plenty in their performance to please Tottenham boss Ho and they proved yet again this season they are a hard team to beat.
More to follow.
What’s next for both teams?
Tottenham are on the road as they take on Aston Villa in their next WSL game on Sunday, 15 February (12:00 GMT).
Chelsea host Liverpool on the same day (12:00) as they bid to keep up the pressure on their top-three rivals.