Alessia Russo keeps Arsenal title hopes alive in North London derby win vs Tottenham

Perhaps the biggest compliment you could pay Arsenal is that what happened this weekend was nothing out of the ordinary.

For the second Women's Super League (WSL) game in a row, Jonas Eidevall's side sold out the Emirates Stadium, meaning the Gunners now boast a higher average attendance this term than nine Premier League teams. The 60,000-strong crowd ensured the 12th Women's North London derby was the highest attended football match in England on Sunday, with Arsenal now responsible for the six highest turnouts in the women's top flight.

Of course, with a great crowd comes even greater pressure, and Eidevall and his players will have been well aware of the importance of delivering on the pitch this weekend as well as making history off it. It was, after all, only a few short months ago that Spurs emerged from the reverse fixture with both the spoils and the local bragging rights; Martha Thomas' strike securing the three points after Arsenal had failed to make any of their 31 shots on goal count.

But if it was at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that the Gunners' pursuit of domestic glory was blown unexpectedly off course, then it was at the Emirates where they offered their rivals a potent reminder of their title credentials. To Tottenham's credit, though, they made Arsenal work for it.

It was a full-throttle start from the hosts, who should have taken an early lead when Alessia Russo stabbed wide from an inviting Steph Catley corner. But while Eidevall's enjoyed the lion's share of possession, winning a flurry of early set pieces, it was Spurs who carved open the clearest first-half chances.

Thomas, the hero for Tottenham back in December, once again came close to breaking Arsenal hearts when she skipped past Lia Walti and