Arsenal opened up a five-point lead at the Premier League summit as Gabriel Martinelli scored twice in a 4-0 rout of struggling Everton at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal produced arguably their worst performance of the season in last month's 1-0 loss at Everton, but a quickfire double on the stroke of half-time saw them take control on Wednesday.
Bukayo Saka broke Everton's resistance with a terrific finish into the top-right corner before playing a key role in the second, stealing possession from a flat-footed Idrissa Gueye to tee up Martinelli.
Sean Dyche's strugglers suffered further damage as Martin Odegaard and Martinelli added close-range finishes after the interval, ensuring Arsenal put potentially decisive daylight between themselves and Manchester City.
Everton kept Arsenal quiet for the first 40 minutes and perhaps should have gone ahead when Neal Maupay flicked into Aaron Ramsdale's hands from six yards out.
However, the Gunners took the lead with their first real chance as Saka turned on Oleksandr Zinchenko's defence-splitting pass before hammering beyond Jordan Pickford at his near post.
Arsenal had VAR to thank as they grabbed a second six minutes later, with Michael Oliver overturning his initial decision to disallow Martinelli's one-on-one finish for offside after Gueye was caught in possession by Saka.
Leandro Trossard miscued a volley as Arsenal pushed for a third after the interval, before Ramsdale made a strong stop from Dwight McNeil's 20-yard effort.
Arsenal had a deserved third with 19 minutes to play as Trossard raced to the byline to find Odegaard, whose side-footed finish deflected in off James Tarkowski.
With Everton's confidence shattered, Eddie Nketiah tested Pickford with a close-range volley before driving to the left to find Martinelli, who poked in for his brace.
Real Madrid hit Twente for seven, five-star Wolfsburg also win big
Real Madrid had six different goalscorers as they trounced Twente 7-0 in the Women's Champions League on Wednesday, while Wolfsburg beat Galatasaray 5-0.
Signe Bruun opened the scoring three minutes into the Group B encounter at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano, then Maria Mendez's header gave Madrid a 2-0 half-time lead.
Madrid, who had won one and lost one of their opening two games in the tournament, got a third through Naomie Feller five minutes into the second half, then Caroline Weir made it 4-0 with a brilliant free-kick.
Mendez headed home her second of the encounter shortly after the hour mark, while Oihane Hernandez and Carla Camacho got on the scoresheet late on to complete the rout.
The victory took Madrid second in the Group B standings ahead of Chelsea's trip to Celtic.
Wolfsburg were also convincing victors in Group A, getting off the mark for this season's competition as Rebecka Blomqvist scored a hat-trick in their 5-0 thrashing of Galatasaray.
The Bundesliga side – who failed to pick up a point or score a goal in their opening two matches – had a narrow 1-0 lead at half-time through Joelle Wedemeyer, before Blomqvist took centre-stage in the second period.
She tapped home after Janina Minge struck the crossbar, then added her second goal in the 77th minute and her third six minutes into stoppage time.
Vivien Endemann powered home a fifth for Wolfsburg one minute later, as they provisionally moved within three points of Lyon and Roma ahead of their meeting.
Taylor pleased with City's physical test during Hammarby win
Manchester City head coach Gareth Taylor was pleased with how his team stood up to the physical challenge of Hammarby in their 2-0 Champions League victory on Tuesday.
City's win extended their unbeaten start to the season, having won every game in all competitions following a 2-2 draw against Arsenal on opening day.
“Difficult game for us, physical challenge, a physical team in Hammarby. I think they outnumber us a little bit in terms of size, considering when you look at our midfield. But I thought the girls handled it really well," Taylor said after the game
“I thought we dominated the game. In the early parts we were just a little bit off in our final action. We just needed to speed up a little bit in terms of being on the end of it, and we spoke about that at half-time, and we score with Laura getting into that type of position we’d been talking about.
“[The physicality was something] we were prepared for, but dealing with it is a different thing. Having Bunny [Khadija Shaw] and Alanna [Kennedy] on the pitch, two of our more physical players, is really important, particularly for set-plays.
“At 1-0 we were defending a couple of scenarios like that, Yama [Ayaka Yamashita] making a really good save at one point. Then Aoba [Fujino] got the goal that maybe allowed us to change things up a little bit more, get some people off that we’d like to manage.
“I think the girls have dealt with it really well tonight. We expected it, we thought it would be difficult, and they rose to the challenge.”
The victory leaves City top of their Champions League group with a 100% record after three matches, three points above second-placed Barcelona.
Taylor had made changes to City's starting XI, with Lauren Hemp among the trio to drop out from the weekend and she did not feature in the squad. Ahead of their weekend game against Chelsea, who are second in the WSL, Taylor explained the reasoning behind Hemp's absence.
“We’ve just got an issue with Lauren that we just need to analyse a little bit further, that’s all," he said.
“It’s something that potentially happened in the Palace game [on 3 November]. She was able to play in the Tottenham game [last Friday] but wasn’t able to tonight, so we’ll just take a little bit longer to assess and find out more.
“Hopefully [she can play against Chelsea]. There’s an opportunity there, we’ll just have to take a moment tomorrow, have a good conversation and find out where we’re at with the medical staff.”
Arteta: Saka and Rice injuries do not look good
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta did not have a positive outlook when questioned about Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice's respective injuries following their 1-1 draw at Chelsea on Sunday.
Saka was taken off in the 81st minute, having earlier received treatment on a problem with his leg, while Rice left the pitch 10 minutes earlier having been playing with a broken toe.
While their injuries represent a problem for Arteta, both Saka and Rice were included in the England squad to face Greece and the Republic of Ireland.
It could be a blow for England interim manager Lee Carsley, with Arteta doubtful they will be able to contribute.
"It doesn't look good because for two players of that importance to say they want to come off is unusual," Arteta told reporters after the match. "I don't expect them to be fit [for the international break] because if not, they don't come off."
Saka has already missed two games for Arsenal this season, having picked up an injury during the previous international break. The Gunners have had to deal with numerous injuries to key players, including that of Martin Odegaard, who made his first start for the club since August on Sunday.
"What I'm praying for is that after the international break, we have the team fully physically equipped, that they are available and that they are fit because it's been a nightmare for eight weeks," he added.
"Doubt after doubt, issue after issue, not only with the ones that are not able to play but with the ones who are able to play."
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