In a tightly contested North London derby, Tottenham and Arsenal ended in a goalless draw. Both teams missed the opportunity to climb to third place in the Women's Super League. After Manchester United's 3-0 loss to Manchester City, a win would have put either team ahead of United. However, neither side could break the deadlock at Brisbane Road.
Arsenal created more chances but failed to convert them into goals. Stina Blackstenius had the best opportunity in the first half, testing Lize Kop at her near post. Five minutes into the second half, Blackstenius missed another chance, shooting over the crossbar after Olivia Smith's impressive run through several challenges.
Smith continued to threaten but shot directly at Kop following a goalmouth scramble
around the hour mark. Caitlin Foord was unable to score from the rebound. Meanwhile, Martha Thomas had a rare chance for Spurs in stoppage time but skewed her shot wide.
The match ended without a winner, leaving last season's European champions eight points behind the league leaders. Despite their efforts, Arsenal couldn't capitalise on their superior opportunities and remained level with Tottenham on 15 points.
Tottenham entered this game having lost nine of their previous 11 North London derbies in the WSL. They secured one win in December 2023 and one draw before this match. On Sunday, they managed to earn a hard-fought point despite only attempting four shots with an expected goals (xG) value of 0.16.
In contrast, Arsenal took 13 shots with a total xG of 1.68. Only West Ham has recorded a lower xG against Arsenal this season in a WSL match, which occurred on September 12.
No Red Cards Yet
Arsenal manager Renee Slegers substituted Katie McCabe after she received a yellow card late in the first half. This fixture remains notable as it is the most-played derby in WSL history without any red cards being issued across 12 meetings between these teams.
The result leaves both teams reflecting on missed opportunities as they aim to close the gap at the top of the table in future matches.
