Ella Toone's hat-trick propelled Manchester United to a stunning 4-2 victory over rivals Manchester City in the Women's Super League on Sunday, allowing them to leapfrog their adversaries in the standings. Toone had never scored against United's arch-rivals before, but she changed that narrative with a stellar performance in the thrilling derby at Etihad Stadium.

Two first-half goals from England midfielder Toone and Leah Galton's 21st-minute tap-in put the visitors firmly in control, capitalising on a series of errors from City. Gareth Taylor's team managed to claw back some ground before half-time, thanks to goals from Vivianne Miedema and Rebecca Knaak.

The second half was set up to be a nail-biter, but Toone completed her hat-trick just seconds after the restart when City goalkeeper Khiara Keating's clearance was blocked, marking a moment she'd rather forget. Under Marc Skinner's guidance, United didn't look back, securing a memorable victory which leaves Chelsea with a seven-point lead at the top of the table.

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Elsewhere, league leaders Chelsea bounced back with a resounding 5-0 demolition of West Ham. Sonia Bompastor had maintained a flawless league record after nine matches until the Blues dropped points in an unexpected 1-1 draw with Leicester on December 14.

Following a winter break, the visitors netted three times in the first half in East London, in their first league match for over a month, helping Bompastor to break more records as the French coach registered the best unbeaten start in the division. Catarina Macario, Erin Cuthbert and Aggie Beever-Jones netted for Chelsea before the interval, with Sandy Baltimore adding a fourth after half-time.

The scoring was completed when Amber Tysiak scored an own goal towards the end.

Meanwhile, Arsenal marked Renee Slegers' permanent appointment as head coach with a resounding 5-0 home win against Crystal Palace.

Captain Leah Williamson scored her first goal for the Gunners since March 2023 in the sixth minute, but it didn't lead to a flurry of goals.

However, the floodgates did open after Alessia Russo doubled Arsenal's lead at Meadow Park after 63 minutes, with Beth Mead also finding the back of the net before Mariona Caldentey scored twice late on to seal a convincing win.

Tottenham moved up to sixth in the table thanks to a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Leicester, courtesy of a fourth-minute own goal by Janina Leitzig.