Sam Kerr grabbed a hat-trick and Fran Kirby moved onto 100 Chelsea goals with a double as we brushed aside our rival Blues at Kingsmeadow on Sunday to go back to within one point of leaders Arsenal.

We were 4-0 up at the interval with the end result further boosting our goal difference and ensuring we are now also just one goal shy of the Gunners heading into the international break.

‘The performance was great,’ said Hayes.

‘I can usually tell in the first few minutes how the game is going to go, and I knew from the first pass to the first tackle we were going to play at a great intensity and tempo and that’s what you have to do.

‘We passed the ball well, we pressed well and we executed well in the final third. If you want to win games at the top level and stay at the top, the demands that we have to place on ourselves are outrageous.

‘But testament to the players after of all these number of games. To produce that performance and get the result is outstanding.’

Hayes has been calling for a more ruthless attacking instinct in recent weeks and once again the strike partnership of Kerr and Kirby led the way, with Birmingham unable to cope with their pace, movement and quality.

‘It was a great hat-trick from Sam and Fran’s made 100 goals and it’s another brilliant achievement,’ added Hayes.

‘It means a lot to her. She’s missed a lot through injury and illness so for her to get that in front of the fans is a special moment and one I know she’ll cherish.’

Our fine form during a busy fixture list has also seen us progress to the brink of Champions League qualification from the group stages, while our next club fixture is the FA Cup final at Wembley on Sunday 5 December - thanks to a superb 3-0 semi-final win over Manchester City.

Since the last international break, we have won all six games across three competitions.

Hayes added: ‘This block of games has been outstanding with 21 goals for, zero against and players coming back to full fitness. We’re going to go into the next block in really good shape.’

Hayes said the break is coming at a bad time given our form and that although her staff will get some brief respite from a ‘relentless’ schedule, the players will have very little chance to rest.

‘I don’t know what team I'll put out because I won't know until Saturday before the game which players are really going to be eligible to play based on flight schedules.

‘It's not ideal. It’s a terrible time to have organised the game on that basis. Cup finals being three days after players are coming back into the country - it’s not optimal for players but it is what it is.

‘I'll have to put out a team that will be able to cope with the demands of playing at Wembley and the demands involved in playing in such a tight game.’

Following the showpiece FA Cup final against the Gunners and a home Champions League fixture against Juventus, the league will be back on the agenda and Hayes is already relishing the challenge.

‘Arsenal are in the driving seat,’ she said.

‘We've always been in a title race every year, so this is not unusual for us, but we're chasing a team.

‘Arsenal are in the position where it's theirs to lose because they're the leading team.

‘But what I do know about this group is we know how to do this really really well, and we will chase them and chase them and chase them and apply the pressure from the position that we're in. That’s the thing that we know we can control.’