In the first North London Derby of the season, **Tottenham**and **Arsenal**played out a 0-0 draw that keeps them level on 16 points in the Women's Super League.
It is the first time the Lilywhites have taken points from their rivals since a 1-0 win in December 2023, continuing an impressive start to the season that currently places them in fifth, only below their neighbours on goal difference.
In the red corner, it rounds off a glum week for the Gunners. First, they were denied a deserved win against Chelsea, then collapsed against Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Here are four things we learnt from the closely-fought contest.
New look Tottenham can grind down opponents
For Martin Ho, this was an improvement on their last encounter with a traditional top 4 side. In their 1-0 loss to Chelsea, they came close to having the champions draw a blank but fell short after **Keira Walsh**’s strike.
Sinking 4-2 against London City Lionesses last week was perhaps the most disappointing result of the campaign so far, and one that Ho took responsibility for on Instagram.
This time though, the head coach came away much more pleased, "The players worked extremely hard. I asked for a response and I got that."
On Sunday, they got over the line in preventing one of their London rivals from netting. Spurs frustrated Arsenal for large parts by packing the box and having timely interventions when their shape was punctured.
This result is already an improvement on last season’s record against Arsenal, Chelsea and the Manchester clubs, where they collected zero points in eight games.
It also sees Tottenham claim their fourth clean sheet of the league season, doubling the entirety of their total shutouts from 2024/25.
Ho’s side have shown their capabilities as a deep defensive team a number of times this season and this in particular was a heartening display.
But did Spurs miss an opportunity?
Normally, there would not be much more to say other than Tottenham did well to get a point. However, this is an Arsenal side that have had defensive wobbles in recent matches, especially on the transition.
The hosts kept the ball well for portions of the first half but were largely pinned back in the second. There were a couple of breaks later on in the game that they could not quite fashion anything significant from.
Maybe if there was a bolder approach to that counter-attacking there would have been a goal to show for it.
It is understandable why the Lilywhites did not wish to commit many numbers forward; this is an Arsenal team with some of the best attacking talent in the league.
Their insecurity at the back, however, was ruthlessly taken advantage of by Bayern Munich in the week and this may have been as good a time as any to exploit that.
After being hampered with a hip injury for the past month, Olivia Smith looks to be back to a sharp enough state to earn some starts in the coming days.
The Canadian’s power and pace on the right was a handful for Amanda Nilden and she attacked the box more directly than Beth Mead or Caitlin Foord managed to.
Naturally, the match sharpness was not quite there yet. A fitter version of Smith probably would have buried her chance on the hour mark, for instance. Though she offered a different dimension to an Arsenal forward line that still seemed hungover from the second half at Bayern.
Head coach Renee Slegers lauded her impact post-match, noting that "she's been able to train more consistently now" and that "she was more ready" to feature.
With two home games on the horizon against Real Madrid and former employers Liverpool, Smith will be hoping this week can restart her journey with the Gunners after a brief time away.
**Emily Fox**has proven to be one of the most consistent and dynamic full-backs in the WSL since signing for Arsenal in January 2024.
The right-back nodded in her first goal of the season in the opening minutes at Bayern midweek as part of a slight shift in her attacking responsibilities recently.
Only Mariona Caldentey has more progressive passes and passes into the penalty area for Arsenal this season, and her increased incorporation in the final third looks to be an intentional inversion.
Recently Fox can often be seen floating from the right and into the middle, even taking up positions more akin to number 10s and 9s.
The question is whether this is a permanent change or a ploy by Slegers to mitigate the lack of Leah Williamson’s ball playing ability. Having Fox become involved higher up does relieve the pressure on the backline and bypass the need to build-up from the back as much.
After all, the 27-year-old had the most progressive carries against Bayern (4) and the joint most carries into the final third at Brisbane Road (5).
In addition, an extra body further up makes up for **Kim Little**’s absence, meaning Caldentey and her chosen midfield partner are brought a bit further away from goal.
Fox has attested to her adaptability before. Speaking to Sky Sports in October, the United States defender said "you can't be one dimensional" in the modern game.
"The team is evolving tactically, because we need to broaden our ability to break teams down. My role in build-up possession is becoming more important.
"Even if it doesn't look like it's on, it's a big stress relief to play forwards. A backward pass is like an invite for chaos to ensue."
Fox does look well suited to this inverted role but time will tell as to if this is a quick fix or a larger strategy to play to her strengths.