Bethany England rescued a crucial point for relegation-threatened Tottenham against fellow Women’s Super League strugglers Brighton.
Elisabeth Terland gave the visitors the lead after only ten minutes but England levelled soon after.
Brighton seemed on course for three points after Lee Geum-min tucked a long-range shot past Rebecca Spencer.
But England was on hand once again to power an effort past Lydia Williams and salvage a draw.
England, who joined Spurs in January from Chelsea, has already scored eight goals for the north London side.
They now hold a three-point advantage over bottom-placed Reading, though have played one game more.
Brighton, meanwhile, are only two clear of the relegation zone.
Vital points go begging for both
Claiming three points would have provided a significant advantage in either team’s quest to avoid the drop.
With Brighton improved under new manager Melissa Phillips and Tottenham having won only one of their past 13 games, the visitors would have hoped they had the upper hand.
Terland gave Brighton hope of seizing the three points when she prodded the ball past Rebecca Spencer after the Spurs goalkeeper parried into the Norwegian’s path.
But the Seagulls’ lead would last less than two minutes as England was at hand to nod home the leveller after Eveliina Summanen flicked a Kerys Harrop corner into the middle of the box.
With both teams composed in defence and equally matched going forwards there was little opportunity for either side to make their impression on the game.
There was little change to the rhythm after the break as congestion in midfield continued to hold the teams back.
Brighton boss Phillips injected energy into her team through the introduction of Julia Zigiotti and Geum-min from the bench as they searched for much-needed firepower.
And it was the South Korean who made an impact on the Seagulls’ attacking fortunes as she tucked a side-footed effort from outside the box low past Spurs keeper Spencer.
Brighton were in the ascendency but England snatched a share of the spoils for her side as she raced through the Brighton defence to latch on to a long ball and power a shot into the roof of the net.
The relegation battle is as tight as ever with four weekends remaining – or just three for Spurs, who have played a match more – after Leicester thrashed Liverpool earlier on Saturday.
Only three points separate the bottom four teams in the division.
With Tottenham still to face Reading for a second time and Brighton up against third-bottom Leicester on the final weekend, there may be more twists to come.
Source – BBC Sport
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