Tottenham pay the penalty as Marie Hobinger fires Tottenham to first win

Marie Hobinger’s stoppage-time penalty secured Liverpool a 3-2 win at Tottenham and their first Women’s Super League victory of the season.

Austria midfielder Hobinger, who had earlier scored with a superb free-kick at Brisbane Road, converted from the spot in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

Conelia Kapocs’s excellent opener for the visitors was cancelled out by Taylor Hinds own goal and after Hobinger had restored Liverpool’s lead, Clare Hunt fired Tottenham’s second equaliser.

Liverpool made the brighter start with Jasmine Matthews heading over and Olivia Smith firing wide before Kapocs pounced on Becky Spencer’s error to give the visitors a deserved 10th-minute lead.

Spencer misdirected her pass out from the back, playing the ball straight to Kapocs and the Liverpool midfielder lobbed the ball back over the goalkeeper to mark her first WSL start with the opening goal.

Tottenham struggled to retain possession under the visitors’ high press and failed to have an effort on target in the first half.

The visitors picked up where they left off after the restart, with Smith denied by Spencer’s outstretched hand and they almost doubled their lead from a corner when Tottenham defender Amanda Nilden scrambled the ball clear via a post.

But Tottenham were gifted an equaliser against the run of play in the 54th minute.

Jessica Naz fired in a low cross from the right and Hinds diverted the ball into her own net at the near post from in front of diving keeper Rachael Laws.

Liverpool spurned another chance when Smith blazed an angled drive off-target and after she was fouled on the edge of the box, Hobinger curled the subsequent free-kick into the top corner.

Tottenham had looked the better side in the second period and got back on level terms again with seven minutes left when Hunt’s low angled effort was deflected in off Liverpool defender Gemma Bonner.

Laws denied Naz in a one-on-one as Tottenham chased the winner, but in stoppage time referee Kirsty Dowle pointed to the spot after Sophie Roman-Haug went down in the box and Hobinger converted the match-winning penalty.