Arnold was the star of the day, starting the match for the Hammers and making two key saves - with many others tipped off the crossbar - as West Ham secured a 1-1 draw with the up-and-coming Spurs.

Arnold's starting place on her West Ham debut may create interesting problems for the Matildas' goalkeeping stocks going forward, as number one Lydia Williams - who was out of Arsenal's squad due to a minor injury - has huge competition at the Gunners.

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Despite usually employing a unique method of goalkeeper rotation, Arsenal boss Joe Montemurro has said that he'll begin to restrict rotation more this season, with Williams down the pecking order at Arsenal.

In contrast, Arnold appears set to be number one at West Ham, with the club highlighting her phenomenal record at W-League level when they signed the keeper.

Interestingly, Arnold will face Williams' Arsenal next week, but it's unlikely that the Matildas veteran will feature.

Both van Egmond and Kennedy came off the bench in the clash, with van Egmond entering the fray on the 54th minute and nearly creating an excellent opportunity, while Kennedy entered on the 68th but could do little to influence the result.

Hammers boss Matt Beard said both Matildas had gelled well in pre-season, along with the entire squad featuring 11 new faces.

“We’ve had a good pre-season as a group,” he said. “The most important thing for me was keeping the players we wanted to keep from last year as our core group, and then pre-season saw us get some good detail in. 

“A lot of the work we did last year means the players already have an understanding of what’s being asked. We’ve been pleased with how everyone is settling in and we’re looking forward to seeing what we can achieve this year."