WSL: Arsenal cruise past Manchester United in record crowd to close in on league leaders

Arsenal scored three first-half goals in a 3-1 victory over Manchester United in front of a record Women's Super League crowd of 60,160 on Saturday, keeping them in contention for the title after Chelsea lost 1-0 to Manchester City.

Chelsea remain at the top of the table, level on 34 points with Manchester City following their loss to them on Friday night, while a sold-out Emirates Stadium saw the Gunners close the gap to the top two to three points after an easy victory over United.

The visitors got off to a fast start and looked dangerous in the early going, but their day was derailed in the 10th minute when Geyse da Silva Ferreira deflected Katie McCabe's corner to the near post into her own net.

Things went from bad to worse for the visitors when Katie Zelem's attempted clearance turned into a perfect cross for Cloe Lacasse to double Arsenal's lead, and a Kim Little penalty put them up 3-0 at halftime.

Even though Lucia Garcia scored a consolation goal deep into second-half stoppage time, United's comeback never looked likely as Arsenal cruised to their 10th win of the season, bringing their total to 31 points.

With the top three having played 14 of the 22-game season, all eyes will be on Chelsea's match against Arsenal on March 15, while fourth-placed Manchester United's 24 points mean their chances of breaking into the top three are all but gone.

SportsLigue