Tottenham Hotspur Women vs Arsenal Women. Women's Super League.
The Hive StadiumAttendance2,896.
Match report as Tottenham hold WSL leaders Arsenal to a 1-1 draw at the Hive Stadium; Rachel Williams's close-range finish had given the hosts the lead with 25 minutes to go; Vivianne Miedema equalised in injury time
Sunday 14 November 2021 11:45, UK
Arsenal needed an injury-time header by Vivianne Miedema to earn a 1-1 draw at Tottenham as the Women's Super League leaders' 100 per cent start to the season came to an end.
Spurs had appeared on the cusp of a famous win at the Hive Stadium after Rachel Williams's close-range finish had given the hosts the lead with 25 minutes to go.
However, Miedema's 92nd-minute header saw the leaders gain a deserved point in the end, while the home side stay third in the table.
Arsenal arrived at the Hive Stadium having won all six league games so far this season and looking to extend their lead over champions Chelsea at the top of the table and but for an inspired goalkeeping display by Spurs No 1 Tinja-Riikka Korpela, the visitors would have been out of sight by the break.
The Finland international was first called into action straight from the kick-off, racing off her line to make an excellent block to prevent Beth Mead from opening the scoring just 40 seconds into the contest.
The visitors also hit the bar twice in the first half as first Mead saw her free-kick from the left edge of the area brilliantly tipped onto the woodwork by Korpela, who was helpless though when Katie McCabe let fly from just inside the box three minutes before the break, with the crossbar still shaking moments later.
It was more of the same in the second period in what at times resembled a match between Arsenal and Korpela, who was at it again when denying Mead from point-blank range.
Almost inevitably, Spurs made the breakthrough on the break as Kyah Simon found Kit Graham in space down the left side of the area and after her low drive was parried away by Manuela Zinsberger, there was Williams to bundle the ball over the line at the second attempt as Arsenal fell behind for the first time in the WSL this season.
Six minutes later the hosts could - and really should - have doubled their lead when Zinsberger palmed Shelina Zadorsky's low cross straight to Ashleigh Neville eight yards out, only for the right-back to somehow miss the target with the goal gaping.
And that miss came back to haunt Spurs in stoppage time when Arsenal's late pressure finally told as Miedema rose highest of all to power home a header from a left-wing corner.
Spurs travel to Watford for an FA WSL Cup group-stage clash on Wednesday at 7.30pm, while on the same night Arsenal host HB Koge in the group phase of the Champions League (8pm).
