Lauren Hemp scored twice and Khadija Shaw continued her hot streak to keep Manchester City at the top of the Women's Super League after a 4-2 win over Arsenal.

The reigning WSL champions lifted a small fraction of the gloom over the Etihad Stadium, caused by the club being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules, with a fifth straight win.

City, briefly usurped at the top of the table by Chelsea after the earlier kick-offs, twice trailed the Gunners.

(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

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But Hemp cancelled Lisa Baum's opener, and after Alessia Russo put Arsenal back in front, City sub Kerstin Casparij equalised with her first touch.

Hemp put City in front for the first time and Shaw hit her fifth WSL goal of the season to wrap up the victory.

The deadlock was broken three minutes before the end of a cagey first half when Russo crossed into the box.

Lotte Wubben-Moy's header was spilled by City goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita. and 19-year-old Baum, who looked just offside, bundled in the rebound.

City hit back in stoppage time when Hemp's angled drive took a deflection off Emily Fox and flew past Gunners goalkeeper Anneke Borbe.

Shaw should have put City in front after the restart but showed too much of the ball to Borbe, and less than a minute later Russo pounced on a mistake from Yui Hasegawa to fire Arsenal into the lead.

But Casparij had an immediate impact 65 seconds after coming on, curling a stunning effort past Yamashita into the corner.

Hemp then beautifully controlled a cross from Hasegawa and slipped it between the legs of Borbe before Shaw atoned for her earlier miss by racing through to slip home the fourth.