Arsenal took the Women’s Super League title race to the final day with a 3-0 win over rivals Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium.
Beth Mead’s early strike and a second-half brace from Caitlin Foord did the job on derby day, with the Gunners trailing league leaders Chelsea by a point with just one match remaining.
These north London neighbours should have met here on March 26 but the fixture was postponed due to a coronavirus outbreak among the Spurs squad.
Moving the game to make it the penultimate fixture of the campaign only added to the sense of occasion as Arsenal and Tottenham clashed at the Emirates for the first time.
Arsenal travel to West Ham on Sunday knowing they will be crowned champions if they can better Chelsea’s result against Champions League-chasing Manchester United.
A sign of Tottenham’s improvements came as Arsenal needed a stoppage-time leveller from Vivianne Miedema when the sides met earlier in the campaign, but this turned into a more comfortable night.
This time around, with a title still very much within reach, Arsenal were ahead as the clock struck four minutes.
Mead collected a pass from Leah Williamson and drove into the box before finishing well for her sixth goal in as many WSL appearances.
That was as good as it got in a first half where Spurs largely kept the hosts at arm’s length, Miedema shooting wide and Foord drawing a smart save from Tinja-Riikka Korpela.
The second period followed a similar pattern until a short-corner routine caught Spurs napping with 19 minutes to go.
Foord slid in at the back post to convert Miedema’s low shot and double the lead.
The local derby element to the contest arrived soon after with the players squaring up following a rash challenge from Maeva Clemaron on Lia Walti.
The points were secured in style with Foord bending home her second of the night before Angela Addison hit the post with a last-gap penalty for Spurs as Arsenal took a riveting fight with Chelsea all the way to the final round.
