Arsenal dominated Tottenham 5-0 on the day Manchester City loanee Chloe Kelly made her Arsenal return in the Women’s Super League.

Lionesses winger Kelly, who rejoined her first club on loan in January, came off the bench as Renee Slegers’ side coasted to victory over their north-London rivals at the Emirates Stadium.

After Clare Hunt’s own goal set the tone for a one-sided afternoon, goals from Mariona Caldentey, Frida Maanum and Alessia Russo put the match beyond reach before Emily Fox added a spectacular fifth.

After Manchester United’s victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday, Arsenal remain in third.

Arsenal’s quality in possession was on full show in the opening minutes with precise passages consistently unlocking Caitlin Foord down the right. The Australia forward’s power and hunger to beat her marker suggested Spurs left-back Amanda Nilden was going to have her work cut out.

Tottenham’s insistence of playing out from the back did not suit them, with wayward passes and crumbling under the pressure of Arsenal’s press being a common theme in the lead-up to the first goal.

And minutes after Hayley Raso aimlessly lost possession in the middle, she continued to struggle to get up to speed as she slipped when receiving a pass.

Arsenal seized on the loose ball and a perfect cross from Kyra Cooney-Cross was glanced across the forehead of Russo before bouncing in off the hip of Hunt.

The goal was coming and it felt the match was already out of Spurs’ grasp, with the visitors only having one meaningful spell of possession in Arsenal’s half before the 30-minute mark.

Goalkeeper Lize Kop did well to deny both Foord and Russo from close range with reflex stops but she could only do so much before Arsenal inevitably breached her goal for a second time.

Maanum fizzed a pass to the unmarked Caldentey on the edge of the area and the former Barcelona midfielder finished at the second attempt with a first-time placed finish into the bottom right corner.

It was three months to the day since Caldentey was at her creative best in Arsenal’s 3-0 victory in the reverse fixture and she continued to prove how good a free signing she was in the summer as Arsenal began to dominate their local rivals for a second time this season.

It continued to be one-way traffic for the Gunners after the break, with Maanum getting herself on the scoresheet with a deflected effort looping over Kop before Russo rounded off a stunning counter-attack with a drilled finish into the bottom left-hand corner.

Kelly came on for her second Arsenal debut, gaining crucial minutes as she looks to rediscover a place in Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses squad.

Full-back Fox’s long-range strike made it 5-0 in the 90th minute.