Caitlin Food showed her comeback from injury with two goals in a comfortable win over Everton to boost Arsenal’s Champions League hopes.

Arsenal were already 4-0 up at the break as Foord scored twice.

Katie McCabe hit from long range and Lotte Wubben-Moy led off the fourth.

Jonas Eidevall’s side, who are third in the Women’s Super League (WSL) table, three points ahead of Manchester City, showed a poor performance in the first half.

It was the second game in a row to score four goals and they go into the last two games of the season knowing that European qualification is in their hands.

However, there was concern about the main player Walti, who he signed a new contract last week, when Beever-Jones was delayed by a problem at the start of the second half and his yellow card was upgraded to red after a discussion between the officials.

Everton suffered a major setback and were unable to come back, although Katja Snoeijs headed in a late goal as they suffered their second straight defeat, having shipped 11 goals in the process.

Arsenal have given a tough lesson to Everton

Knowing their rivals and recent FA Cup winners Chelsea are close to Arsenal, they cannot afford to drop points to Everton in the race for the Champions League.

They held third place on goal difference going into Wednesday night, and knew the game in hand would give them the advantage if they took all three points.

They had to be patient early on as Everton dominated possession but did not test goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger.

But with Everton starting to look more dangerous at the back, Arsenal took advantage, Foord heading Noelle Maritz’s cross into the bottom corner for the opener.

McCabe’s long-range winner made it 2-0 before Foord added a third, getting back in after goalkeeper Emily Ramsey denied Stina Blackstenius.

Before Everton had a chance to create again, they were 4-0 down thanks to Wubben-Moy’s header from a set piece.

Brian Sorensen’s side were forced to dig in after Beever-Jones was sent off and were rewarded for their actions with Snoeijs’ late header, but the win was already Arsenal’s.

It was a familiar story for Everton, who have improved this season under manager Sorensen but have no plans to add to their impressive form.

They finished the season mid-table, but have been given a tough training session by the league’s best in Chelsea and Arsenal this month.

When asked if Sorensen had decided to change Everton’s performance against the big league teams, he told Sky Sports: “No, we had 55% in the first half, we just need to learn how to light up in transition.

“I still believe that the way forward is to build an identity and play.”

Injuries continue to plague Arsenal

Arsenal have had an injury-prone season, losing several key players to long-term problems, including four anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.

Their injury list includes captain Kim Little, England captain Leah Williamson and top scorers Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead.

Foord was making his first start since April 2 after returning from injury at Walton Hall Park, but Arsenal won one, lost another.

“[Foord] it was very nice today. He stepped up when he came off injured against Manchester City, it was great to see,” Eidevall told Sky Sports.

“We all feel that it’s hard to ignore [on Walti] and it hits our player hard. Of course we are saddened by the loss of Lia perhaps for a while – we have to evaluate it.

“I also think about him when he has the World Cup to play in the summer, so there are a lot of thoughts and feelings.”

Swiss midfielder Walti, who has played in 18 of the Gunners’ 20 WSL games this season, underwent lengthy treatment before having his leg braced and revealed.

Everton’s Bever-Jones was in tears as he left the pitch after his red card challenge.

Arsenal’s latest injury comes 13 days after a back-to-back Laura Wienroither suffered an ACL injury in their Champions League semifinal against Wolfsburg.

That Arsenal are still leading the way in third place is testament to their ability to turn things around this season, even if Walti’s injury could seriously damage the end of their campaign.