Tottenham take first ever point against Arsenal in Women's Super League to end rivals' perfect start

Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal have played three times in the Women's Super League since the former was promoted two years ago, but it was only on Saturday – in their fourth meeting – that the north London derby finally took on its true meaning.

In a thrilling tussle, which was not short on aggro, Tottenham won their first ever point against their rivals in a 1-1 draw at The Hive, simultaneously ending Arsenal's perfect start to the season.

It continues Tottenham's phenomenal campaign so far, losing just one of their seven opening league fixtures, and keeps them flying high in third place – just five points off leaders Arsenal.

For two years this fixture has been billed as a rivalry but lacking in any real competitive edge. Tottenham had suffered three brutal losses in a row – with an aggregate score of 11-1 – and even a 5-1 drubbing in the FA Cup quarter-final just six weeks ago. But on Saturday their historic point could well have been three, if not for Vivianne Miedema's 92nd-minute header denying them a shock win.

"That makes it a proper north London derby," a breathless Tottenham manager Rehanne Skinner said post-match. "The point is massive for us, we're pleased, it's just that you're so close. We had a chance to make it a couple more."

While Saturday's opener to Women's Football Weekend was a decidedly more modest affair than at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2019 – when a record 38,262 attended – few of the 2,896 people at The Hive will forget it. Tottenham banished their ghosts and luck was also on their side for the first 91 minutes.

Beth Mead thought she had put Arsenal ahead with an emphatic free kick just after 25 minutes. But in pinball machine style, the ball pinged off the crossbar, rebounding off the far post before bouncing short of the goal-line. Serious scrutiny of slow-motion replays were required to figure out how on earth the score remained 0-0.

Later, in a flurry of Arsenal chances ahead of the break, Katie McCabe's left-footed attempt also thwacked the bar while Tottenham goalkeeper Tinja-Riikka Korpela kept out Kim Little and Miedema's efforts. For all their good fortune, throughout the match Tottenham also showed the defensive acumen which has seen them concede only five goals this season – second only to Arsenal's record. Korpela's hard work played a huge part.

They did not get a single shot on target themselves until the second half and, until they scored, their threat appeared minuscule compared to Arsenal's. Miedema misfired multiple times while Mead's tap in was stopped by Korpela's sublime reactions and the frustration of it all saw McCabe lash out at Neville, who fouled her on the break.

Arsenal were finally made to pay in the 65th minute. Kyah Simon's pinpoint cross to Kit Graham saw her thump a low shot at Zinsberger, who had to drop down to save it and then fling her arm at Rachel Williams' attempt off the rebound. But Williams was not to be denied again, she put her body behind the ball and bundled it over the line.

It was messy, but that mattered little – for the first time all season, Arsenal were trailing. They went into panic mode and made flustered mistakes. Neville should have doubled Tottenham's lead with 20 minutes to go, the rebound from Shelina Zadorsky's saved effort dropping at her feet in front of the open goal, but she skied it over the bar. It was a miss she would live to regret.

Arsenal recovered from the shock of conceding and began an onslaught of pressure but manager Jonas Eidevall was furious when referee Amy Fearn failed to play the advantage just as Arsenal were threatening the Tottenham area. "It's one of those things when you talk about other professionals, if you don't have any positive things to say I'd rather not comment at all," Eidevall quipped post-match.

Luckily for his side, two minutes into injury time, their efforts finally paid off. McCabe swung her corner into Miedema, who leapt over three Tottenham defenders to head the equaliser into the back of the net.

It was the least they deserved. "It's a difficult one because when you look at the game objectively as a whole, we should have won because we created so many goalscoring opportunities," manager Jonas Eidevall said. "The game was similar to plenty of games we have won three or four nil with the difference that we didn't convert the chances. We are disappointed with the result overall but we value the point."

Match details

Tottenham (4-4-2): Korpela; Neville, Bartrip, Zadorsky, Harrop; Ubogagu (Addison 64), Percival, Clemaron (Green 80), Simon (Ayane 80); Graham, Williams
Subs: Heeps, Ale, Morgan
Bookings: Clemaron, Neville

Arsenal (4-3-3): Zinsberger; Maritz, Williamson, Wubben-Moy, Catley (Parris 68); Maanum (Nobbs 68), Little, Walti (Iwabuchi 85); Mead (Foord 85), Miedema, McCabe
Subs: Williams, Patten, Boye, Goldie, Heath
Bookings: Mead

Referee: Amy Fearn

Attendance: 2,896