Chelsea respond to Arsenal by beating Reading 5-0 and returning to the top of the table as two-horse race continues
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Updated 03/04/2022 at 20:09 GMT
Chelsea and Arsenal both turned in five-star displays to keep up their two-horse race for the Women's Super League title. Arsenal had gone top earlier on Sunday following their thumping 5-0 win at Leicester but that was short-lived as Chelsea also ran riot at home to Reading, defeating the Royals by the same scoreline with braces from Bethany England and Sam Kerr.
Sam Kerr of Chelsea celebrates with teammates after scoring their side's third goal during the Barclays FA Women's Super League match between Chelsea Women and Reading Women at Kingsmeadow on April 03, 2022 in Kingston upon Thames, England.
Image credit: Getty Images
Chelsea swatted aside Reading 5-0 at Kingsmeadow on Sunday to take back the lead at the head of the Women's Super League.
Earlier in the day Arsenal had put in a similarly strong performance to demolish Leicester 5-0 and go temporarily top as the title race continues to be a two-horse race, with just one point separating the two sides with four games remaining.
It took until the 40th minute for the Blues to go ahead in their evening encounter through Jessie Fleming, and they took their slender advantage into the half-time interval.
However in the second half Emma Hayes' side romped away with it, scoring four times through doubles from Bethany England and Sam Kerr to seal their big win.
Vivianne Miedema was at the heart of the Gunners' five-star performance, notching a second-half brace as she helped her side rebound from their disappointing midweek Champions League exit to Wolfsburg.
Beth Mead had put Jonas Eidevall's team ahead in just the second minute in the East Midlands, but they didn't begin to turn their dominance - they registered 11 shots on target to the visitors' none - into goals until the 67th minute when the floodgates well and truly opened.
Miedema got what seemed like the clincher on 67 minutes, but she and her team-mates pushed on from there to notch three further strikes.
Miedema grabbed her second just eight minutes after her first, prodding home past Demi Lambourne, before the unfortunate Ashleigh Plumptre netted an own goal after she was unable to deal with a cross.
Tobin Heath got Arsenal's fifth, seven minutes from time as the Foxes imploded.
In the day's other games, Manchester United saw off Brighton by virtue of a single goal from Leah Galton, while there was also only one goal in it between Spurs and Aston Villa as the latter prevailed 1-0.
United's win continued their fine form which saw them make it six home victories in a row, a run that is aiding their push for Champions League football next term.
With a tight game on a knife-edge, Galton's decisive goal came in the 68th minute when her shot somehow crept past Seagulls 'keeper Katie Startup and into the back of the net.
The hosts could well have extended their advantage in the closing stages, but Martha Thomas couldn't convert either of her two chances.
Villa's goal came late on at the Hive Stadium through Ramona Petzelberger's back-post header.
Meanwhile in the Women's Championship, Liverpool beat Bristol City to secure their promotion to the top flight next season with two games to spare.
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