London Bees bow out of the Capital Women’s Cup following a second-half turnaround as Tottenham Hotspur U21 came from behind to secure a 5–2 victory.
The Bees made a bright start and took the lead in the 12th minute through Martins, who showed great composure to go one-on-one with the goalkeeper and finish confidently.
Tottenham looked to respond, but intervention from Vigo preserved the Bees’ advantage.
The hosts came close shortly after, striking the woodwork on 20 minutes, before Hoare produced an excellent defensive challenge to deny Spurs an opportunity.
The Bees continued to apply pressure with a corner that fell into the keeper’s hands and a lively run from Martins that led to another corner soon after.
Half Time: Tottenham Hotspur 0 – 1 London Bees
Tottenham emerged strongly after the restart, with an early effort going wide as the Bees looked to protect their lead.
The hosts equalised in the 53rd minute and quickly followed up with a second just a minute later to turn the game on its head.
By the 62nd minute, Spurs had extended their lead further and then again in the 68th minute from the spot, making it four for the hosts.
However, the Bees responded well, with Hoare scoring a superb free kick from range in the 73rd minute.
The effort took a slight deflection off of the Spurs defence but sailed right past the keeper.
Spurs added a fifth goal in the 79th minute to effectively seal the result.
Despite the scoreline, Roberts produced a fine diving save late on to prevent further damage, while a late Bees corner in stoppage time came to nothing.
In the end, a strong first-half showing was undone by the second-half performance from Tottenham, as London Bees exit the Capital Women’s Cup.
Full Time: Tottenham Hotspur 5 – 2 London Bees
The Bees travel to Loftus Road next week as they take on QPR in the final away game of the season.
Line up: Roberts, Heil, Vyse, Martins, Fowle, Vigo, Larkin (Lanza 69’), Davidson, Campbell (Doolan 79’), Hoare, Bennett (Durn 69’)
Goals: Martins (12’), Hoare (73’)