Arsenal reclaimed top spot on goal-difference from Everton with a 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
Kelly Smith grabbed a brace for the champions while Rachel Yankey, Katie Chapman and Julie Fleeting also got on the scoresheet as Vic Akers' side bounced back from their disappointing Uefa Women's Cup exit.
The Gunners needed to make up for a poor performance in Europe and were back on track within eight minutes against Forest. That's how long it took Yankey to give Arsenal the lead and they dominated from that moment on.
Smith got her first of the game after taking on the Forest defence and curling the ball in the top corner of the net, giving the keeper no chance. Just before half time, Smith scored her second with a superb volley from outside the box.
That effectively ended the game as a contest but Arsenal kept going in the second half and managed two more goals. Chapman grabbed her fourth of the season with a fierce low shot into the corner of the net after Fleeting's lay-off.
Then Fleeting herself wrapped things up with a late goal on the counter-attack. Arsenal worked the ball well through the centre and Fleeting played a one-two before chipping the goalkeeper for a perfect end to a decent performance.
Copyright 2024 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.