Casey Stoney defended Manchester United’s berth as the only full-time team in the Women’s Championship after a comprehensive win against the league leaders, Tottenham, which left her team two points behind them but with a game in hand.

“To be honest I don’t feel bad. I think we should be playing teams more off the park,” said Stoney. “One of our mantras is we want to be relentless in what we do. I think it was a sensible decision to go the way we’ve gone because, let’s be honest, we didn’t know what we were going to be able to recruit. We had three weeks to build a team and put a staff in place.

“We’re a young team and we’re still growing. People criticise us but half our squad are WSL2 [forerunner to the Championship] players at least.”

Given Tottenham’s perfect start to the season, they should have provided United with their biggest test so far. Yet from the whistle the gulf in class showed. Looking stronger, fitter and technically crisp, United brushed aside their nearest rivals.

A frustrated Spurs were behind after 10 minutes when Jessica Sigsworth found 17-year-old Lauren James after a mazy run to the edge of the area. James looked for the gap, turned her marker and powered a low shot to the left of Chloe Morgan. James soon returned the favour. Katie Zelem, instrumental in midfield, poked the ball wide to the former Arsenal player and she raced to the byline before sending in a low cross for an easy Sigsworth tap-in.

With Spurs chasing shadows in front of the vocal home support, they were unable to trouble England’s Siobhan Chamberlain. A hopeful run from Angela Addison ended with an exasperated cry as she was cut out by three United players with no one to pass to and nowhere to go, a summary of Spurs’ first half.

Akin to playground bullies, United continued to muscle forward and when a Zelem free-kick found Sigsworth at the far post, she headed in their third. Spurs could take pride in their defensive efforts in the second half but tired legs could only hold on so long and Charlie Devlin, on for James, let the ball run across her body before turning and shooting powerfully past Morgan for United’s fourth.

A tentative late foray into United’s final third gave the visitors a corner and Addison headed a consolation past Chamberlain – the first goal the hosts have conceded in the league.

“We always knew it was going to be tough,” said the Tottenham manager, Karen Hills. “Credit to the girls, I thought we were all outstanding today. We were a little disappointed to go in 3-0 down but in the second half we showed what character we’ve had over the past six or seven weeks.”

On this performance, United will walk the league. The best the rest can hope for the second promotion spot. If this is the most competitive game of the season for United, then the decision to allow a professional side to play in the semi-professional Championship has left a stark difference in quality.

Jordan Nobbs double seals hard-fought win for Arsenal

Arsenal maintained their three point cushion over Manchester City, having played a game less, with a hard-fought 3-1 win against Birmingham.

Jordan Nobbs gave the Gunners the lead in the second half with a right-foot finish but Emma Follis hit straight back, levelling from a tight angle. A Daniëlle van de Donk penalty and an injury-time strike from Nobbs sealed victory.

Manchester City stayed in touching distance as Nikita Parris’s double made her the WSL’s all-time top scorer with a double in their 3-0 defeat of Liverpool. The forward raced clear and chipped Anke Preuss before putting away a spot kick in the 83rd minute – a Niamh Fahey own goal gave City their third. With 37 goals Parris surpassed the former Chelsea forward Eni Aluko’s tally of 36 and kept City five points clear of Birmingham in third, having played a game more.

Reading leapfrogged Liverpool into fifth with two goals from Fara Williams and one from Brooke Chaplen against Bristol City. Two second-half goal by Ramona Bachmann gave Chelsea a win at West Ham. Her first was scored on the rebound after she had hit the inside of the post, the second was a curler into the far corner.

Meanwhile, Yeovil delighted in their first league win since promotion in 2016 with a 1-0 home victory over Everton. Hannah Short’s strike from outside the box in the 21st minute lifted them off the bottom and above their opponents, who have yet to win this season.