Vivianne Miedema celebrates scoring for Manchester CityGetty Images
Marissa Thomas
BBC Sport journalist
Manchester City regained their 11-point lead at the top of the Women's Super League as they thrashed Leicester City at the Joie Stadium.
The hosts were 4-0 up at the break thanks to goals from Khadija Shaw, Yui Hasegawa and a double from Vivianne Miedema.
Shaw opened the scoring with a diving header from a Lauren Hemp cross after 22 minutes.
Miedema got her first when she fired past Leicester goalkeeper Olivia Clark after defensive errors from defenders Julie Thibaud and Ashleigh Neville.
Hemp put another dangerous cross into the box and Miedema headed home at the near post before Yui Hasegawa slotted in from Kerolin's cutback.
Three minutes into the second half, Kerolin made it five with a fantastic strike from the edge of the box which flew into the top corner.
Aoba Fujino rounded Clarke and fired into an empty net as Man City recorded their biggest league win of the season so far.
Man City increase their lead at the top while Leicester remain bottom of the league, one point from safety.
Home comforts continue as City march to WSL title
Graphic showing Manchester City's dominant home form in the WSL.
Andree Jeglertz's side have played nine games at home and won all of them, with their two league defeats this season coming against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and Arsenal at the Emirates.
It has been almost 10 years since Man City won their first and only WSL title but on the evidence of this season so far, it won't be much longer before they have a second crown.
Prior to the match, former WSL defender Rachel Corsie said it could be the worst time for Leicester to be playing the leaders after their defeat against Arsenal last weekend "because you almost end up being on the wrong end of their reaction to that result".
There was no 'almost' about it as Manchester City tore Leicester to shreds at every opportunity, having 31 shots in the match with 15 of those on target.
Shaw scored her 15th league goal, three more than she managed in the entirety of last season.
It is the fourth time this term that the Jamaica international has set the tone for her side by netting the opening goal in a match.
Hemp was also in imperious form, providing two assists, and it could have been three in stoppage time when Shaw found the net again before the offside flag was raised.
As for Leicester, it was a match to forget.
Rick Passmoor's side hit the woodwork once when the match was goalless through Alisha Lehmann and then again when Shannon O'Brien smashed a bouncing ball off the crossbar with the goal gaping.
Leicester remain on the worst ever winless run away from home in the WSL, going 23 games without victory since beating Everton 1-0 in January 2024 (D7 L16).
They have conceded 16 first-half goals in 15 games, more than any other side in the league this season.
With relegation rivals Liverpool and West Ham picking up crucial wins in recent weeks, Leicester face a tough challenge if they are to climb up the table.
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Player of the match
L. Hemp
8.36
Manchester City
Leicester City
11L. Hemp
8.36
10V. Miedema
8.26
9K. Shaw
8.09
25Y. Hasegawa
7.79
14Kerolin
7.60
17S. Coffey
7.31
5A. Greenwood
7.23
19L. Blindkilde Brown
7.21
6G. Clinton
7.18
20A. Fujino
7.14
24I. Beney
7.03
18K. Casparij
6.89
4J. Rose
6.85
15Leila Ouahabi
6.78
31A. Yamashita
6.60
27R. Knaak
6.53
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11A. Lehmann
5.00
9N. Mouchon
4.79
17J. Thibaud
4.70
29A. Neville
4.44
27S. O’Brien
4.42
13O. Clark
4.40
20S. Mayling
4.39
15H. Payne
4.33
23O. McLoughlin
4.29
5E. van Egmond
4.29
12A. Ale
4.00
28R. Williams
3.95
31C. Swaby
3.68
2S. Kees
3.52
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After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.
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