Brighton miss chance to go third in WSL with 1-1 draw against Spurs
Beth England finds bottom corner to break deadlock for Tottenham at Brighton
Marisa Olislagers levels with brilliant volley
Match paused for lengthy stoppage due to medical emergency in crowd
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Marisa Olislagers (82 mins)
Brighton back level!
Tottenham fail to deal with Rachel McLauchlan's ball into the box and Marisa Olislagers controls at the back post before hitting a half volley back across goal and into the far top corner.
What a hit that was.
Image source, Getty ImagesBrighton 0-1 Tottenham
Play has stopped for a moment while Evaliina Summanen receives treatment for what looks like a head injury.
As Brighton look to at least rescue a point from this one they take the opportunity to make a change, replacing Jelena Cankovic with Bruna Vilamala.
Brighton 0-1 Tottenham
That opener from Beth England was her eighth scored against Brighton in the WSL.
She could well have condemned them to a first home defeat of the season.
Brighton 0-1 Tottenham
Wow, Tottenham have suddenly woken up.
Hayley Raso flashes a cross through the six yard box and Jess Naz attempts an audacious backheeled flick at goal that lands just wide of the post.
Beth England (75 mins)
Breakthrough at last!
It's a great team move. Martha Thomas combines with Jess Naz to get to the byline before cutting the ball back to Beth England to stride onto and smash into the bottom corner.
She doesn't miss those.
Image source, Getty ImagesBrighton 0-0 Tottenham
Nikita Parris combines with strike partner Kiko Seike on the edge of the box but her shot is blocked by Molly Bartrip.
Brighton 0-0 Tottenham
Sophie Baggeley races out of her goal to stop Tottenham launching a counter attack but her attempt to hit the ball back up the other end hits her own defender.
Luckily it bounces out for a throw in and she is able to return to her net before the visitors can capitalise.
Brighton 0-0 Tottenham
Evaliina Summanen curls a wide free kick low into the box.
The ball bounces around off several players before Brighton finally manage to thump it clear.
Brighton 0-0 Tottenham
Brighton's best effort on goal so far.
Nikita Parris picks up a loose ball on the edge of the box and fires low towards the bottom corner but Eleanor Heaps produces a fingertip save to deny her.
Brighton 0-0 Tottenham
Brilliant play from Jess Naz to trick her way into the box and pick out Beth England.
The striker then turns and shoots at goal but Sophie Baggaley gets down well to parry it away.
Image source, Getty ImagesBrighton 0-0 Tottenham
The second half has been very stop-start.
There's been lots of little fouls and stoppages that have prevented either side from really hitting a good rhythm.
Brighton 0-0 Tottenham
Brighton players protest in unison as Tottenham are awarded a free kick midway through their half.
It looked like the right call to pull play back after Drew Spence failed to gain an advantage after a shirt pull.
Brighton 0-0 Tottenham
Time for Robert Vilahamn to call on his subs bench.
Martha Thomas is on for Maite Oroz.
Brighton 0-0 Tottenham
Clare Hunt rises highest to meet the corner but she meets it on her way back to ground and it loops up helpfully for Sophie Baggaley to catch.
Brighton 0-0 Tottenham
Ashleigh Neville's attempted cross is deflected behind for Tottenham's first corner of the game.
I hope they're using a multiball system tonight because that one just cleared the roof of the stand in the corner.
Image source, Getty ImagesBrighton 0-0 Tottenham
Jorelyn Carabali is the next player into the referee's notebook after a shove on Hayley Raso.
Brighton 0-0 Tottenham
The hosts made a change at the break.
Michelle Agyemang is on for Pauline Bremer.
Brighton 0-0 Tottenham
Tottenham get us restarted.
Image source, Getty ImagesHT: Brighton 0-0 Tottenham
The teams are back out on the field after their half time briefings.
Will our Christmas wish of goals come true?
Fingers crossed.
HT: Brighton 0-0 Tottenham
Where's that Santa gone that we spotted earlier on?
Can we request an early Christmas present of goals in the second half please...
Image source, BBC Sport
Brighton last beat Tottenham in October, 2021, under Hope Powell
Brighton missed out on a chance to go third in the Women's Super League table as they were held to a battling draw by Tottenham in their final match before the winter break.
After few early chances, the match burst into life late on as Bethany England opened the scoring for Spurs in the 75th minute by tapping in Martha Thomas' cut-back.
But the Seagulls were level seven minutes later when a cross was headed out to Marisa Olislagers and the Dutch international found the top corner with a superb finish.
Players were taken off the field in the 83rd minute due to a medical incident in the crowd.
Play resumed about 12 minutes later but neither side was able to find a late winner.
The result means Brighton stay fifth but maintain their six-point lead over Tottenham in sixth.
Brighton are unbeaten at home in the WSL this season
Both sides were playing their final fixture of 2024, and each manager looked reasonably happy at full-time.
A draw suits both, especially Brighton who will finish the year behind only the big four of Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United.
Their success this year has been built around their home form. Dario Vidosic's side remain unbeaten in front of their own fans this season with four wins and two draws.
That record was in danger against Tottenham and had to be saved late on by an unlikely hero.
Left-back Olislagers, who joined Brighton from Twente this summer, was in the right place at the right time but still needed a moment of magic to score her first goal for the club.
The 24-year-old's shot was perfect. Hit with power from a tight angle her volley dipped into the far corner to earn her side a point.
It meant Brighton also ended their rather embarrassing two-match losing run when hosting Tottenham, having lost 8-0 and 3-1 at home to Spurs over the past two seasons.
After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 6 | 25 | 28 |
|
| 2 | Manchester City | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 6 | 14 | 22 |
|
| 3 | Arsenal | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 19 | 5 | 14 | 18 |
|
| 4 | Manchester United | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 3 | 12 | 18 |
|
| 5 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 17 | 16 | 1 | 17 |
|
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 23 | -8 | 11 |
|
| 7 | Liverpool | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 16 | -7 | 9 |
|
| 8 | West Ham United | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 16 | -5 | 8 |
|
| 9 | Aston Villa | 9 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 17 | -8 | 6 |
|
| 10 | Leicester City | 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 13 | -10 | 6 |
|
| 11 | Everton | 9 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 15 | -11 | 6 |
|
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 25 | -17 | 5 |
|
Manager: Dario Vidosic
Formation: 3 - 4 - 3
Manager: Robert Vilahamn
Formation: 4 - 4 - 2
Manager: Dario Vidosic
Formation: 3 - 4 - 3
Manager: Robert Vilahamn
Formation: 4 - 4 - 2
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