Mana Iwabuchi's first-half stunner was the difference on Saturday, as Aston Villa Women beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at the Banks's Stadium.
The Japanese forward broke the deadlock in spectacular style as Villa earned a massive three points to bring them to within two of Saturday's visitors.
The result also lifts them to ninth as they now prepare for the Second City derby on Wednesday.
Marcus Bignot again opted for five across the defence, with Jodie Hutton returning from injury to start on the left side of the unit.
Diana Silva also came into the starting XI having recently scored a stoppage-time equaliser versus Reading.
Villa made a strong start to the game, something which hasn't always been the case this season.
There were tackles and strong challenges aplenty, as the magnitude of the game was perhaps felt amongst both sets of players.
Hutton, starting at left wing-back, strode forward in the early exchanges to create a half-chance for Silva which was hacked away by the Spurs defence before the Portuguese could get a telling touch on the ball.
It was evident, though, that the team had their tails up, and they took the lead soon after in outrageous circumstances.
Mana Iwabuchi picked up the ball unmarked and unleashed a rocket of a shot without hesitation, finding the far top corner from all of 25 yards to give Villa the lead and cause bedlam on the home bench.
The strike was the Japanese forward's second in three games, and could end up proving to be a hugely important one.
The remainder of the first half was a relatively quiet one, with Villa doing well to stifle any attacking play the visitors presented to them.
That pattern continued into the second half and beyond, as Lisa Weiß and co. were very rarely tested.
Tiredness did set in towards the closing stages, which perhaps prompted Bignot in replacing Hutton with Freya Gregory, who came on to make her first-team debut.
After a lengthy amount of stoppage time, the referee's final whistle was greeted with roars of defiance and relief.
It can't be understated how significant those three points are, as our focus now turns towards an equally important derby in midweek.
Villa: Weiß, Ale, N'Dow, Asante, Haigh, Hutton (Gregory 83'), Ewers (C), Hanssen (Haywood 87'), Iwabuchi, Larsen, Silva (Follis 90')
Unused Subs: Rogers, West, Siems, Syme, McLoughlin, Goodwin
Goals: Iwabuchi (12')
