Manchester United striker Alessia Russo scored her first senior hat trick as Marc Skinner’s side thrashed Leicester 5-1 on Sunday afternoon.

The 24-year-old opened the scoring just fifteen minutes into the game, slotting away after the Foxes failed to clear the ball. Twenty minutes later, she doubled her tally with a back post header, before getting her third eight minutes after halftime.

Goals from Leah Galton and Lucia Garcia sealed a comprehensive victory for United, who took full advantage of the fact that Chelsea are not in league action to go four points clear of the Blues at the top of the table.

The manager has been keen to play down talk of a title challenge but, with every passing victory, their chances of becoming champions are increasing.

Russo’s outstanding form could be what fires United to the title. She is just one goal behind her total in the WSL for the entire of last season.