Liverpool Ladies 4 Sunderland Ladies 0: WSL1 Spring Series run over

Goals by Caroline Weir (2), Natasha Harding and Casey Stoney gave victory to the WSL1 leaders at the Select Security Stadium.

The Lady Black Cats had put a winter of turmoil behind them with an excellent start in the division with a win and two goalless draws.

Under head coach, Melanie Reay, Sunderland went into the game in fifth place and without having conceded a goal.

But that record was ended in the 10th minute and when it was broken it was broken by a stunner from WEIR whose left-foot shot flew past Anke Preuss from 30 yards.

The Lady Black Cats were almost level within seconds when Beverly Leon broke into thebox, bur Siobahn Chamberlain saved superbly to her right.

Sunderland attacked again when Abby Holmes drove into the area but she could not find Abbey Joice.

But the rest of the half was one-way traffic. Preuss made a great double save on 18 minutes when she made a diving stop from Alex Greenwood's long-range shot before blocking Jess Clarke's follow up.

Liverpool had threatened a second and it duly arrived in the 22nd minute when HARDING was played in and the England striker beat Preuss with a left-foot shot into the goalie's left corner.

Sunderland made a change at the start of the second half, bringing on Steph Roche for Joice.

And the Lady Black Cats made a storming start to the second half with Maddie Hill hitting the base of Chamberlain's right post with a great from outside the area.

Chamberlain then denied Lucy Staniforth at her near post after the ex-Liverpool midfielder thundered in a shot.

And the England keeper was at it again in the 55th minute when she made a superb diving save to keep out a 25-yard Staniforth free-kick.

The Reds sealed the deal in the 58th minute when WEIR converted from six yards to make it 3-0 following Gemma Bonner's cross from the right.

Sunderland almost conceded a fourth but Preuss turned a: Bonner header around for a corner.

Despite trailing, the away side kept playing and were thwarted again by Chamberlain who dived to her right to turn away a Dominique Bruinenberg shot after being played in by Roche.

But Liverpool made it four 10 minutes from time when STONEY tapped in from close range from a Greenwwod corner from the left.

FULL-TIME:

LIVERPOOL LADIES 4

SUNDERLAND LADIES 0

LIverpool: Chamberlain, Hodson, Bonner, Stoney, Greenwood, Coombs, Ingle, Charles (Johnson 56), Weir (Fletcher 76), Clarke, Harding (Longhurst 69)

Unused subs: Flaherty, Zelem, Van de Sanden, Rodgers

Goals: Weir 10, 58; Harding 22, Stoney 81

Sunderland: Preuss, Holmes (Ramshaw 66), Bannon, Sharp, Williams, Brown, Bruinenberg, Staniforth, Hill, Leon (Lambert 77), Joice (Roche 46)

Unused subs: Olsen, Galloway, Patttinson

Referee: M Woods

Att: 441