Ashleigh Neville joined Tottenham for their first Championship season in 2017 and knows how big the gap was to Arsenal and how far her side have come. “Five or six years ago we’d get battered six- or seven-nil by Arsenal and you’d always dread playing them. I feel like no one had that feeling against them this time,” the full-back says of the 1-1 draw in November that saw Arsenal’s first dropped points of the season.
“I remember the 10-0 [in the FA Cup in March 2017] and then I remember playing them last season when we drew them in the Conti Cup: 2-2 and then lost on penalties. I remember celebrating drawing 2-2 with them and a few of the girls looked at me and were like: ‘Why are you celebrating 2-2?’ I said: ‘I’ve been here five or six years now and all I’ve ever done is be smashed by Arsenal and I feel like we’ve achieved something by drawing with them – we’ve worked so hard.’”
