Arsenal saved their unbeaten run in the Women’s Super League with a stoppage-time equaliser to deny their North London rivals 3 points at the Hive Stadium

Arsenal saved their unbeaten run in the Women’s Super League with a stoppage-time equaliser to deny their North London rivals 3 points at the Hive Stadium.

Arsenal made five changes to their starting XI in preparation for the North London derby. Jonas Eidevall’s side had a strong start at the Hive Stadium with Beth Mead creating the Gunners first opportunity inside the first 60 seconds, with an audacious effort which deflected back off the bar and on to the goal-line. Katie McCabe created Arsenals next goalscoring opportunity with a powerful strike form 20 yards, again rattling the woodwork.

The league leaders continued to mount pressure on the home side having missed several opportunities in the first half as chances from both Katie McCabe and Beth Mead were denied by the woodwork. Williams and Graham worked tirelessly to provide support to the Tottenham Hotspur midfield as the visitors continued to dominate possession well into the second half. The efforts of Williams and Graham were relieved when the two combined to create the all-important opener for the home side. Arsenal found themselves behind in the second half as Rachael William’s opener put Spurs in front on the hour mark. Spurs went close to quickly doubling their lead when full-back Ashleigh Neville put the ball over the bar with the goal gaping after the centre-back Shelina Zadorsky’s shot was deflected into her path. With the hosts eventually breaking the deadlock at the Hive Stadium, Spurs become the first team to take the lead over Arsenal this season.

Arsenal continued to battle from behind with 62% possession over their rivals and having 15 shots compared to the 5 shots from the home side. Late into the second half, Vivianne Miedema continued to torment the Spurs defence with her efforts on and off the ball. As a constant threat to the Spurs defence, the Dutch forward climbed high above Neville and thumped a powerful header beyond the reach of Tinja-Riikka Korpela, salvaging a point for her side to maintain the Gunners impressive, unbeaten run whilst proving herself as one of the most prolific strikers in the women’s game.

Spurs have shown progress since their last meeting with Arsenal, from their 5-1 loss in the Women’s FA Cup. Today, Rehanne Skinner’s side take their first WSL point against Arsenal as the North London derby finishes 1-1 at the Hive Stadium. The title race is open, should Chelsea close the gap on Sunday, only a point will separate the top two in the Women’s Super League.