Cardiff City 4 Tottenham Ladies 0

Tottenham Ladies saw their hopes of clawing back momentum off the back of two successive defeats hit by a 4-0 defeat in Wales against Cardiff City.

And the latest reverse is far from ideal preparation for Karen Hills’ title holders, ahead of next week’s FA Women’s Premier League Cup Final.

Cardiff’s Chloe Lloyd took aim from 30 yards early on, forcing Megan Lynch to save, while Emily Allen’s cross from the right found Hope Suominen, whose strike from inside the area was blocked by Renee Hector.

Tottenham’s Bianca Baptiste burst past Ellis Hillman and fired the ball across goal to be caught by Laura O’Sullivan, before Lloyd placed a well-worked free-kick inches wide.

Lloyd floated another free-kick towards Gemma Evans creeping in at the back post and she came within inches of making a connection.

But the Lilywhites fell a goal behind with 22 minutes played. Eartha Pond placed her free-kick inadvertently past Lynch, who had Hope Suominen closing her down.

Cardiff’s Kerry Bartlett sent a shot on the turn just wide, before Pond’s free-kick came within a whisker of finding Wendy Martin and a follow-up effort was deflected into the arms of the keeper.

Britton countered with a low shot that Lynch managed to steer clear, before Bartlett fired over, but Cardiff doubled their lead on 39 minutes when Cori Williams broke on the right and saw her shot loop in.

Bartlett headed wide from a Hannah Miles’ cross before the break, but Spurs came out of the traps flying following the restart and Baptiste got to the byline and looked for Maya Vio, only for O’Sullivan to pounce on the cross and deny an opening.

Pond’s free-kick saw Hector’s header loop onto the roof of the net and Hector sent Baptiste away, with Kelley Blanchflower flicking her cross towards the bottom left corner of the net, before O’Sullivan made the save.

Hector then drove forward from the back and passed to Lucia Leon who played Baptiste through to crash a strike off the post.

But Williams curled a dipping free-kick past the wall which Lynch had to push clear and it was soon 3-0 as Allen pounced at the far post to smash the ball past Lynch.

Spurs tried to respond, as Leon sent Baptiste away on the left, before cutting inside and hitting the post from 20 yards, and Cardiff found themselves down to 10 players when Suominen was sent off for an untimely challenge on Hector.

Pond’s resulting free-kick saw Hector clatter with O’Sullivan, before Nikita Whinnett found the net, but the goal was ruled out for a foul and Chloe Chivers broke on the left and placed the ball inches wide under pressure from Lynch.

Spurs did not heed the warning, though, as Cardiff claimed their fourth goal just minutes later as Chivers burst through again and created a gap to slide the ball into the net.

Spurs Ladies: Megen Lynch, Lucia Leon, Renee Hector, Eartha Pond, Sophie Mclean, Josie Green (Kelly Smith 65), Maya Vio, Wendy Martin, Bianca Baptiste, Kelley Blanchflower (Nikita Whinnett 72), Katie O’Leary (Riana Soobadoo 78).