Report: United Women 3 Spurs 3

Calling on the depth of the squad, with this our third game in a run of four in 15 days, Marc Skinner made five changes from the side that started against OL Lyonnes in midweek. Ella Toone, Julia Zigiotti, Jess Park, Dominique Janssen and Elisabeth Terland all returned.

Spurs produced a smash and grab-like performance to lead 3-0, after United had hit the bar three times in the opening 45 minutes alone, and had two other efforts cleared off the line. The goals from Bethany England, Eveliina Summanen and Martha Thomas put the visitors within touching distance of their first win over United at the 16th attempt.

But Ella Toone began the dramatic comeback with 16 minutes of the 90 to play, before a late Fridolina Rolfo brace – the second scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time – ensured our 100th game in Leigh ended level.

FIRST HALF

United put early pressure on Spurs and were close to quickly going ahead, as Melvine Malard’s close-range poke goalward was saved by Lize Kop. Still inside the first 10 minutes, Janssen also went close to repeating last weekend’s heroics, arrowing a free-kick narrowly wide of the post.

Spurs threatened when a Thomas header was comfortably collected by Phallon Tullis-Joyce, but United were then only denied a lead when Spurs centre-back Toko Koga headed clear Jess Park’s left-footed shot from off the line. Midway through the half, Hinata Miyazawa shook the frame of the goal with a sweetly struck drive from range that crashed against the bar.

The visitors had just started to gain a foothold in the game for the first time when England broke the deadlock towards the end of the half. Olivia Holdt’s in-swinging cross from our left was met by the Spurs skipper, whose header clipped the underside of the bar as it beat Tullis-Joyce.

Straight up the other end, United hit the woodwork for the second time when Malard’s long-range shot came off the bar. Terland’s rebound was cleared off the line by Koga, her second such clearance of the half. Moments later, it was a third time off the bar when Maya Le Tissier’s header bounced back.

It was another sucker punch in first-half stoppage time, as Summanen extended the Spurs lead with a looping header at the back post.

SECOND HALF

United returned from the interval on the front foot, with Toone first to test Kop but lacking power in the shot. A few minutes later, Terland was unmarked at a corner and was agonisingly unable to direct her back-post header on target.

A third Spurs goal against the run of play came on the counter attack. Holdt managed to gain possession in midfield and drove into United territory, laying the ball off to the right for Thomas, whose powerful shot rose high into the roof of a rain-soaked net.

Skinner turned to the bench for fresh legs in the shape of Rolfo and then Leah Galton. Soon after, Koga completed a hat-trick of goal-line clearances by getting in the way of one from Malard.

Toone’s improvised volley, contorting her body to get her foot over the ball to keep the strike down, guiding it over Kop into the far corner, reduced the deficit on 74 minutes and roused the crowd. Then, United hit the bar for a fourth time in the game, with Toone’s rasping shot tipped onto the woodwork by Kop’s fingertips.

Rolfo raised the volume inside the stadium even more with her poacher’s finish finding the bottom corner. An original attempted shot from Park turned into a dangerous pass into the middle, with Malard scrambling to keep it alive and our no.12 applying the finish. In search of the equaliser straight after, a goalmouth scramble saw Molly Bartrip block on the line from Malard.

Spurs spent much of stoppage time with all 11 players in their own penalty area, but that resistance eventually broke as Rolfo caused the stadium to erupt when she fired in Galton’s cross a few yards from goal, completing an astonishing late comeback and a thoroughly deserved point.

With the WSL season now at its halfway stage and on pause until the second weekend in January, United sit fourth, within pouncing distance of third-place Arsenal, only a point further ahead.

MATCH DETAILS

United: Tullis-Joyce; Riviere, Le Tissier (c), Janssen, Sandberg; Zigiotti (Rolfo 59), Miyazawa; Park, Toone, Malard; Terland (Galton 68).

Subs not used: Middleton-Patel, Rendell, Blundell, George, Awujo, Naalsund, Williams.

Goals: Toone 74, Rolfo 82, 90+4.

Booked: Zigiotti, Malard.

Spurs: Kop; Neville, Koga, Hunt, Nilden; Summanen, Spence; Thomas, Holdt, Vinberg; England (c) (Bartrip 80).

Subs not used: Heeps, Radbourne, Rybrink, Dennis, Graham, Gunning-Williams.

Goals: England 37, Summanen 45+2, Thomas 61.

Booked: Nilden, Kop.

Attendance: 3,142.