Sam Kerr’s 25th-minute effort looked to have given the Blues victory at Leigh Sports Village in a tight game where United enjoyed much of the possession but the visitors created the better chances.
Kerr in particular spurned a couple of opportunities to put the game to bed either side of half-time, but Casey Stoney’s side fought well to remain in it and Leah Galton tapped home an equaliser with just over 10 minutes left to secure a point – against a talent-packed side which has now lost just twice in 57 WSL fixtures.
Stoney handed a debut to Spanish full-back Ona Batlle, while new Chelsea signing Melanie Leupolz also started, although record buy Pernille Harder had to make do with a place on the bench after her much-publicised arrival from Champions League runners-up Wolfsburg.