Arsenal were held to a second successive draw in the Women's Super League as rivals Tottenham put in a resilient display at Brisbane Road.

Having drawn with Chelsea in the WSL and suffered defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League in their two previous matches, Arsenal failed to respond on a frustrating afternoon in north London.

Their hosts, Tottenham, were impressive in and out of possession and overcame periods of pressure to pick up a valuable point under new manager Martin Ho.

It leaves Arsenal and Spurs locked on 16 points each, sitting fourth and fifth in the table respectively, and this will be seen as a highlight in Tottenham's positive start to the campaign.

Despite large spells of possession for Arsenal, particularly in the second half, they rarely tested Tottenham goalkeeper Lize Kop and were largely underwhelming.

Substitute Olivia Smith offered the most threat, creating several chances from the right wing in the second half, but Tottenham held firm and were good value for the draw.

Ho's side had performed well in their previous defeat by London City Lionesses, despite not coming away with anything, so this result was a welcome reward for their improvements in recent months.

In contrast, pressure will be increasing on Arsenal to deliver having slipped eight points off leaders Manchester City in the WSL table.

Ho's side have exceeded expectations so far this season, instantly adapting to the new manager's style and culture, and quickly climbing up the table.

It was a north London derby with more at stake than in previous encounters given they were level on points before kick-off and a third-place spot was up for grabs in the table.

Even before a ball was kicked, there was a general understanding that Tottenham were going to offer something going forward and would be solid at the back – this wouldn't be easy for Arsenal.

And that's how things panned out.

Tottenham were marginally better for parts of the first half, looking more comfortable in possession, winning the majority of the midfield duels and reading Arsenal's sporadic movement up front.

It was a strong demonstration of their progress under Ho, which has culminated in a pragmatic approach at Tottenham, mixed with flashes of creativity and individual quality.

They were heavily tested in the second half as Arsenal's Smith threatened down the right-hand side, and Spurs struggled to get over the halfway line, but Tottenham did not break their resilience.

"I thought in the first half we were very good and had a lot of the ball. We moved them well and defended well," said Ho.

"In the second half they were more direct and nobody could get a foothold but we defended really well. I couldn't ask any more from the players."

It is a result that boosts their impressive start to the campaign and suggests the gap is closing on their rivals, who have been far superior in previous meetings, but not today.

Tottenham fans came out in numbers too, with a record crowd of 6,788 in attendance at Brisbane Road, including an impressive 1,324 in Arsenal colours.

The Gunners travelled across London under pressure following a disappointing defeat in Europe on Wednesday, when they threw away a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 to Bayern Munich.

Already trailing their WSL title rivals, Arsenal's underwhelming start to the campaign – especially off the back of winning the Champions League – has been damaging.

They needed to show a response, not just by picking up crucial points, but by putting in a performance against their local rivals that could signal the start of a reboot.

The first 10 minutes offered a little optimism as they settled quickly and dominated possession, but it was apparent early on that Tottenham were comfortable with the set-up.

A fizzing shot from midfielder Kyra Cooney-Cross – the only addition to the starting XI from Wednesday's defeat – and an effort straight at goalkeeper Kop from Stina Blackstenius were the only half-chances of note from Arsenal in an uninspiring first half.

Renee Slegers needed to act and she made rare changes at the break, introducing record signing Smith and defender Taylor Hinds, and it made a difference.

Smith was explosive down Arsenal's right-hand side, causing problems for Amanda Nilden and creating numerous chances that were squandered.

But despite her positive introduction, Arsenal could not find a way through Spurs' resolute defence and a loose pass from goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar, which rolled out of play in stoppage time, summed up the performance from Slegers' side.

It was the fifth game this season they have dropped points and they remain outside the Champions League qualification spots in fourth place after nine games.

"It's hard at the moment. We can't deny it. There's also a lot of positives, but we're not getting the wins that we want at the moment," said Slegers.

"A club like Arsenal wants and needs to win. So it's a frustrating period, but we still see enough to keep building on.

"We see that there's things we can do that will turn it around for us because we believe that we have all this quality. That hasn't just gone away all of a sudden.

"There's different expectations off the back of last season and the success we had. That's always playing a little role in the background, probably."

Tottenham travel to Bristol City in the Women's League Cup on Sunday, 23 November (15:00 GMT) and host Aston Villa next in the WSL on Sunday, 7 December (12:00).

Arsenal host Real Madrid at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday (20:00) as they return to Champions League action. Their next WSL game is on Saturday, 6 December at home to Liverpool (12:00).

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