Belles hunt down Gunners

England's Becky Easton scored for the Belles

BBC Sport Online's women's football correspondent Tony Leighton rounds up the action from the weekend's Premier League matches.

While the Premier League's top club Arsenal were beating Tranmere to lift the League Cup for the fourth time in succession, their lead at the top of the National Division was being cut to a single point by Doncaster Belles.

A 5-0 victory at bottom club Liverpool kept the Belles hard on the heels of the Gunners, on whom they still have a game in hand.

Everton's 4-1 home win against Barry means the third-placed club are only a further point behind - though they have played three games more than Arsenal.

---

Liverpool 0-5 Doncaster Belles
Donny kept up their pursuit of arch rivals Arsenal with a comprehensive victory which helped their goal difference as well as their points tally.

After Melanie Garside had given them a 14th minute lead, England colleagues Becky Easton and Karen Walker bagged a goal apiece in the last 10 minutes of the first half.

Amanda Barr hit the fourth 11 minutes after the interval and Aran Embleton, who made her England debut in last week's victory over Spain, completed the scoring seven minutes from time.

While the result kept alive the Belles' hopes of winning the National division, it drove another nail into the relegation coffin of Liverpool - the Merseysiders have lost every one of their League outings to date, in the process conceding an average of five goals per game.

Everton 4-1 Barry Town
Three goals in 13 minutes around the interval set up Everton for a comfortable victory over their relegation threatened visitors.

Full back Sammy Britton, hoping for an England recall following the lifting of her drugs-related international suspension, opened the scoring seven minutes before the break.

Tammy Byrne stretched the lead on the stroke of half-time, then Kelly McDougall made it 3-0 in the 51st minute.

Trudie Williams pulled a goal back four minutes later, but Barry never looked like mounting a serious fight back and England captain Mo Marley put the issue beyond doubt with the final goal in the 71st minute.

Charlton 6-0 Sunderland
Substitute Emma Whitter hit two goals as fifth-placed Charlton beat an under-strength Sunderland side to gain some ground on a couple of the teams above them.

Having won the League as Croydon last year, Charlton have found it difficult to keep pace with the top teams after having the start of their season delayed due to the red tape surrounding their name-change.

They are still way behind the rest of the National Division in terms of games played, but they could yet have a top-three finish if the rest of their campaign goes as well as this one-sided affair.

They were in control from the start but took until the 37th minute to open the scoring through Susannah Abbott. Alexa Hunn and Emma Moore added a goal each in the last two minutes of the first half to effectively kill off the visitors by the interval.

Whitter opened her account in the 67th minute then, after an 81st minute strike by Carly Hunt, the substitute wrapped up victory with her second goal three minutes from time.