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The Blues and Manchester United each kept their undefeated beginnings to the Women’s Super League season, although the defending champions' perfect victorious streak was brought to an end by an exciting contest between the top two.

This outcome extended Manchester United's agonisingly long wait for a maiden WSL win over the Blues but they will have taken significant confidence from their display, on a evening when both teams created plenty of chances to win and the hosts demonstrated they could very well have the attributes to launch a serious title challenge.

Fast-Paced Start Sees Early Scores

For a game played between the teams with the two best defensive records in the WSL previous season, and which had allowed the fewest scores so far this season before kick-off, the match started in a unexpectedly open fashion as each pushed forward from the outset.

The match opened at such a fast pace that it could easily have been 2-2 inside the first six minutes, with the goalkeeper saving with her feet from the forward, Macario's effort being blocked by Le Tissier, Park shooting just over the bar and then Beever-Jones doing the same when she certainly seemed likely to find the net.

Chelsea then provide the goal the initial burst of attacks had promised, as Kaptein met Catarina Macario's smart flicked pass and placed a precise, deadly shot low into the side of the net, as the hosts conceded a league score for only the second time this season.

Anna Sandberg's Spectacular Leveler

United had lost 10 of their previous 11 WSL fixtures with the Blues, but this assured version of Skinner's side were not prepared to roll over.

Driven by the dribbling of Jess Park, who seemed intent to skip her way past as numerous defenders as possible and was the driving force of her side's attacking play, they persisted to generate opportunities and they were quickly back on terms when Anna Sandberg scored her first goal for the team.

She could hardly have struck her shot any sweeter, positioning her boot perfectly over the sphere to drive a half-volley forcefully past Hampton from just beyond the box.

Respectful Occasion Amid Storm

The game was staged amid inclement weather, which brought driving rain and strong bursts of breeze, 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 sporting black armbands as a sign of respect.

Furthermore, the two sides united in a circle pre-match to oppose racism at the beginning of Black History Month, in a week when the Peterborough United player Kira Rai experienced racist abuse.

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

Stronger Manchester United Push the Champions

This was the stadium where the Blues clinched last season’s championship, with a 1-0 victory in a game that had been fairly even.

This looks like a much-improved Manchester United team since then, though, and they continued to threaten in the latter period, with Fridolina Rolfö's deflected effort looping on to the top of the bar before Jess Park's swerving attempt flew narrowly over.

Malard, on as a substitute, pulled a ground-level shot wide with 21 minutes remaining.

Closing Action Sees Division of Points

Marc Skinner had said on Wednesday that he wanted his side to be brave and “demonstrate to Chelsea that you can defeat them”, and they definitely seemed to react to his motivational words as they kept to play with intensity and offensive purpose, while Chelsea remained dangerous at the opposite side too, with Aggie Beever-Jones going close.

Such was the level of the challenge Chelsea were being faced with, there was even a rare moment of annoyance from Sonia Bompastor, with the visiting coach given a yellow card in the later stages after she complained about a free-kick decision against her team.

The Blues' Nüsken curled an shot only off target of a upright as the away team began to look for a late winner, and Alyssa Thompson was almost able to sprint through on to a unclaimed pass within the box but she was tackled by the alert United shot-stopper Tullis-Joyce, who also dived down to her left to deny a Walsh shot moments after.

Guro Reiten had a attempt deflected in stoppage time, as increasing visiting pressure grew, but ultimately a draw was a fairly just outcome and sets the round's fixtures up nicely before the other two challengers, City and Arsenal, face off on the weekend.

They will be hungry to take advantage on the leaders and United sharing a point, with City in a position to close to within a point of the top team if they are victorious.