Chelsea and Manchester United each kept their undefeated starts to the Women’s Super League campaign, but the defending champions' 100% winning streak was halted by an entertaining encounter between the top two.
The result extended United's frustratingly long drought for a first WSL win over the Blues but they will have taken great confidence from their performance, on a night when each side generated numerous chances to claim victory and the hosts showed they may well have the qualities to launch a serious championship bid.
Fast-Paced Opening Features Quick Scores
For a match contested between the teams with the two best defensive statistics in the WSL last term, and which had conceded the least goals so far this campaign before the start, the match started in a surprisingly open manner as each attacked from the outset.
The match opened at such a rapid tempo that it could easily have been 2-2 inside the first six minutes, with Hannah Hampton saving with her feet from the forward, Catarina Macario's shot being blocked by Le Tissier, Jess Park firing just over the bar and then Beever-Jones following suit when she looked likely to find the net.
The visitors then provide the opener the early flurry of attacks had threatened, as Wieke Kaptein connected with Macario's smart flicked pass and placed a precise, clinical shot low into the side of the net, as the hosts conceded a WSL score for only the second occasion this season.
Sandberg's Spectacular Leveler
Manchester United had been defeated in 10 of their prior 11 WSL fixtures with the Blues, but this confident iteration of Skinner's team were not prepared to roll over.
Inspired by the dribbling of Jess Park, who seemed determined to skip her way past as numerous opposition players as possible and was the driving force of her side's adventurous play, they persisted to create opportunities and they were quickly level when Sandberg netted her first goal for the team.
She could not have struck her strike any better, positioning her boot perfectly over the sphere to arrow a first-time effort forcefully past the keeper from only beyond the area.
Respectful Occasion Amid Storm
This fixture was staged amid inclement weather, which brought swirling rain and strong bursts of wind, and commenced with a minute’s reflection after the tragic incident on a place of worship in the city on the previous day, with the hosts also wearing armbands as a mark of tribute.
Additionally, the two sides united in a circle pre-match against racism at the start of this important period, in a week when the Peterborough footballer Kira Rai suffered discriminatory remarks.
England national team and Tottenham Hotspur attacker Jessica Naz was the victim of abuse on the internet nine days earlier.
Stronger Manchester United Push the Champions
This was the stadium where the Blues secured the previous campaign's title, with a 1-0 win in a fixture that had been quite balanced.
This looks like a significantly better Manchester United team since then, though, and they persisted to threaten in the second half, with Fridolina Rolfö's deflected shot floating on to the top of the crossbar before Park's swerving effort soared just over.
Melvine Malard, on as a substitute, dragged a low shot wide with 21 minutes left to play.
Closing Action Sees Share of Points
Marc Skinner had said on midweek that he wanted his team to be courageous and “demonstrate to the opposition that you can defeat them”, and they definitely seemed to react to his motivational words as they continued to play with energy and offensive intent, while the visitors remained threatening at the opposite side too, with Aggie Beever-Jones going close.
So great was the level of the challenge Chelsea were being presented with, there was even a rare moment of annoyance from Sonia Bompastor, with the visiting coach shown a caution in the later stages after she complained about a free-kick call awarded to her side.
The Blues' Nüsken curled an shot just wide of a post as the away team began to search for a last-gasp winner, and Thompson was almost able to sprint through on to a unclaimed ball within the penalty area but she was tackled by the alert United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce, who also sprang down to her left to keep out a Keira Walsh shot shortly later.
Reiten had a shot blocked in stoppage time, as increasing Chelsea pressure intensified, but ultimately a tie was a relatively fair outcome and sets the round's fixtures up perfectly before the other two title contenders, City and Arsenal, go head-to-head on the weekend.
They will be hungry to capitalise on Chelsea and Manchester United splitting a result, with Manchester City able to close to within a point of the leaders if they are victorious.
