Gunners maintain punishing pace

Arsenal LFC maintained their five-point lead at the top of the English Premier League with a 7-0 win against Sunderland WFC. Fellow title contenders Charlton Athletic WFC and Everton LFC won to keep pace with the defending champions, and both have a game in hand.

Ludlow lets loose
Relegation-threatened Sunderland defended bravely to keep the scoreline to 1-0 at half-time, before crumbling in the second period as Wales captain Jayne Ludlow completed a four-goal haul, Kelly Smith added two, and Rachel Yankey one.

Chelsea in peril
Second-placed Charlton were 4-1 winners against Chelsea LFC, with Eniola Aluko getting on the scoresheet twice. Chelsea have now completed their fixture list and lie third from bottom. They are two points ahead of Sunderland and four clear of Birmingham City LFC, who have five and four games in hand respectively.

Full-backs strike
Birmingham put up a spirited fight before losing 3-1 to Everton on Sunday. Full-backs Rachel Unitt and Becky Easton were on target for the Merseysiders, while Kelly McDougal rounded off the scoring after Heather Scheuber replied for Birmingham.