Gunners victorious in WSL derby

Sunday lunchtime's Barclays Women's Super League north London derby ended in disappointment after a 5-0 defeat at the Emirates Stadium.

Following an even first quarter-of-an-hour, Arsenal took the lead when Alessia Russo's glancing header went in off Clare Hunt and from there the hosts pulled away, Mariona Caldentey adding a second before the break, while Frida Maanum's deflected effort and Russo's clinical strike made it 4-0 before Emily Fox rifled in from 25 yards in the final minute of normal time to compound our misery.

In truth, it could have been more, but we were indebted to Lize Kop for a string of saves throughout the game, while her counterpart Daphne van Domselaar kept out Drew Spence's back-post header in our best attempt midway through the second half. Another of our substitutes, Olivia Holdt, missed a glorious chance from six yards out in the closing stages when she miscued her header over the bar, but all in all it was a day to forget.

Hunt was at her best to see off Russo's advances in the opening stages but the Arsenal forward always carried a threat and when she met Kyra Cooney-Cross' delivery from the right with a glancing header in the box after we'd lost the ball cheaply, it deflected home off the centre-back to give the hosts a 15th-minute lead.

Hayley Raso got forward down the left flank a couple of times, linking up well with Amanda Nilden on one occasion, but the action was largely happening at the other end with Kop denying Caitlin Foord and Russo twice apiece before Caldentey doubled the Gunners' lead in the 35th minute, smartly firing into the corner after her initial shot was well blocked by Hunt.

Maanum's deflected header from close range went just over and Kop was there again to deny Caldentey as Arsenal finished the first half strongly, and they continued on the front foot after the restart, Russo's rising shot saved before Foord made a useful foray down the right and squared for Maanum, whose shot from the edge of the box glanced off the back of Hunt and sailed home for 3-0 in the 51st minute.

Seven minutes later it was four as Foord broke into space on the counter and shifted the ball right to Russo, who produced an accurate low finish into the far bottom corner of the net. Spence met a corner with a firm back-post header which van Domselaar saved in the 65th minute while Bethany England's left-footed shot was also saved and Holdt squandered a free header from six yards out as we threatened on a couple of occasions in the latter stages, but Fox added the icing on the cake for Arsenal in the 90th minute when she pinged a shot into the top corner from distance for her first WSL goal. Arsenal's returning attacker Chloe Kelly subsequently hit the face of the bar with a cross in the last action of the game.

For us, Ashleigh Neville brought up her 100th WSL appearance, while Ella Morris returned from injury off the bench in the second half.

Match data

Goals: Arsenal - Hunt (OG) 15, Caldentey 35, Maanum 51, Russo 58, Fox 90.

Yellow cards: Spurs - Csiki 37, Hunt 47, Nilden 51.

Referee: Stacey Fullicks.

Venue: Emirates Stadium.

Weather: Light cloud, gentle breeze, four degrees.

Attendance: 56,784.