Dominant Arsenal cut gap at top after Foord leads WSL rout against Leicester

Two goals from Caitlin Foord and one apiece from Stina Blackstenius, Beth Mead and Victoria Pelova ensured Arsenal earned a 5-1 win over ­Leicester and moved within three points of the Women’s Super League leaders, Chelsea, albeit ­having played a game more.

Renée Slegers’s side may have been firm favourites going into the game against the team 10th, but things have not been entirely smooth despite their ­formidable form. Arsenal were punished in the latest international break, with the forwards Chloe Kelly and Alessia Russo forced to withdraw from the England squad through injury; it was “a little early” for the duo to return to face ­Leicester, said Slegers. The ­goalkeeper Daphne van ­Domselaar is a more long-term absentee after she sustained an ankle injury in the Netherlands’ 1-0 win over Austria.

Despite the disruption, Arsenal were rampant against the Foxes at the Emirates Stadium and opened the scoring inside 10 minutes when a neat one-two between Frida Maanum and Emily Fox enabled the Norwegian ­midfielder to swing the ball towards the back post, where Foord was on hand to turn in her first.

Caitlin Foord scores Arsenal’s first against Leicester. Photograph: Ben Whitley/PA

Amandine Miquel’s Leicester side have been much improved in the new year, having emerged from a ­crippling injury crisis that ­decimated their forward line in the first half of the ­season. However, while they have pulled seven points clear of bottom-placed Crystal Palace, they boast the worst away record in the league, ­having secured just two points on the road.

If there was hope they could improve that number against ­Arsenal, who have their Champions League semi-final first leg against Lyon on Saturday, they were quickly squashed as the hosts turned the screws. Slegers’s side had collected 17 wins and three draws from the 20 games in which had have scored first this season and there was no sign of that changing in N5.

Seven minutes after the opener the home team doubled their lead, Foord the instigator this time. The Australian turned and played the ball to Beth Mead on the right who swung a cross in for Blackstenius to send beyond the goalkeeper Janina Leitzig.

Just after the half-hour they had a third. Blackstenius turned provider, laying the ball back for Foord, who shifted on to her right foot before lashing a deflected effort past a wrongfooted Leitzig.

It was the first half Arsenal needed, one that allowed them to rotate and manage loading before two tricky Champions League encounters with the eight-time European champions. Maanum and Foord were relieved of their duties at the break, with Lia Wälti and Victoria Pelova coming on – the latter making her third ­substitute appearance as she is eased back after her lengthy spell out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, and Slegers was able to rotate further as the half wore on.

The home team extended their lead to four soon after. Kim Little danced into the box before sending a pinpoint cross towards the head of Mead, who powerfully headed the ball down and in. They would be denied their clear sheet though, with Yuka Momiki’s effort from the edge of the box rolled into the bottom corner.

Victoria Pelova scored Arsenal’s fifth against Leicester with a volley into an empty net. Photograph: Ben Whitley/PA

The party mood returned soon afterwards, when Leicester failed to clear after Katie McCabe’s free kick came back off the upright and Pelova was on hand to curl in at the far post.

Arsenal could have, and perhaps should have, extended their lead further, but they will not complain about a Champions League warmup with four players on the scoresheet and many legs rested and rotated. The one concern will be that Van Domselaar’s replacement, Manuela Zinsberger, remained rooted to her spot as Momiki’s strike squeezed between bodies on its way into the back of the net. More will be needed from the shot-stopper against Lyon.