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Chelsea and Manchester United both kept their undefeated starts to the WSL campaign, but the defending champions' 100% winning record was brought to an end by an entertaining contest between the best sides.

The result extended United's frustratingly long drought for a maiden Women's Super League victory over Chelsea but they can take significant encouragement from their display, on a evening when both teams created numerous opportunities to win and the hosts showed they could very well have the attributes to mount a serious title challenge.

High-Intensity Opening Sees Early Goals

For a game contested between the teams with the two best defence records in the WSL previous season, and which had conceded the least scores so far this season before the start, the game started in a unexpectedly open fashion as both attacked from the outset.

The contest began at such a rapid tempo that it might well have been 2-2 within the opening moments, with the goalkeeper stopping with her feet from Elisabeth Terland, Macario's effort being blocked by Maya Le Tissier, Park firing narrowly over the bar and then Beever-Jones following suit when she certainly seemed likely to score.

Chelsea then score the goal the initial flurry of attacks had promised, as Kaptein connected with Catarina Macario's clever back-heeled ball and placed a neat, deadly shot into the bottom into the side of the net, as the hosts conceded a league score for only the second time this term.

Anna Sandberg's Stunning Leveler

United had lost 10 of their prior 11 Women's Super League fixtures with Chelsea, but this confident version of Skinner's team were unwilling to surrender.

Driven by the skillful runs of Park, who appeared determined to dance her way past as numerous opposition players as possible and was the engine of her team's adventurous style, they persisted to generate chances and they were quickly level when Anna Sandberg scored her first strike for the team.

She could hardly have struck her strike any sweeter, angling her boot perfectly over the sphere to arrow a half-volley forcefully past Hampton from just beyond the area.

Solemn Atmosphere Amid Bad Weather

This fixture was played amid inclement weather, which produced driving precipitation and strong bursts of breeze, and started with a minute’s silence following the tragic incident on a synagogue in Manchester on Thursday, with the hosts also sporting armbands as a mark of tribute.

Furthermore, the two sides joined together in a group before the game to oppose racial discrimination at the beginning of this important period, in a week when the Peterborough United player Kira Rai suffered discriminatory remarks.

England national team and Tottenham attacker Naz was the victim of racism on the internet nine days earlier.

Improved United Push Chelsea

This was the stadium where Chelsea secured the previous campaign's championship, with a one-nil victory in a fixture that had been fairly balanced.

However, this appears to be a significantly better United team since then, though, and they continued to pose a danger in the latter period, with Rolfö's redirected shot floating on to the upper part of the crossbar before Jess Park's swerving attempt flew narrowly over.

Malard, on as a substitute, pulled a ground-level effort off target with over twenty minutes remaining.

Late Action Sees Division of Points

Marc Skinner had stated on midweek that he wanted his side to be brave and “show Chelsea that you can beat them”, and they certainly appeared to react to his rallying cry as they continued to perform with energy and offensive intent, while Chelsea stayed threatening at the opposite side too, with Aggie Beever-Jones going near.

So great was the level of the challenge the champions were being faced with, there was even a uncommon instance of frustration from Bompastor, with the Chelsea manager given a yellow card in the later stages after she bemoaned a set-piece call awarded to her side.

The Blues' Nüsken bent an effort only off target of a post as the visitors started to look for a late winner, and Thompson was almost able to race forward on to a loose ball within the box but she was challenged by the alert United goalkeeper Tullis-Joyce, who then dived low to her side to deny a Keira Walsh shot shortly later.

Reiten had a shot deflected in added time, as increasing Chelsea pressure intensified, but ultimately a draw was a relatively just result and sets the round's fixtures up perfectly before the remaining title contenders, Manchester City and Arsenal, face off on Saturday.

These teams will be eager to take advantage on the leaders and Manchester United sharing a point, with City in a position to close to just one point of the leaders if they are victorious.