Durham Women faced Leicester City at Belvoir Drive as preparations for the new Barclays Women's Championship season continued.

Durham began brightly and called Lize Kop into action early on - Hannah Blake dinking a ball into the path of Grace Ayre whose low cross was held by the stopper before Carly Johns could connect.

Yuka Momiki then sent an effort narrowly over after seizing on a loose ball while the visitors had to defend a string of corners as the half wore on.

But after what was a fairly even opening 45 minutes, the game headed into the break goalless and with neither goalkeeper really having been tested.

Leicester changed their entire XI for the second half and applied some early pressure, with Tatiana Saunders having to come and clear a dangerous through ball before Emilia Pelgander could connect.

And the Foxes made the breakthrough when Jutta Rantala's free-kick was glanced home by Julie Thibaud.

Rantala then tried her luck from distance with Saunders make a comfortable save, before another long-range strike from a midfielder brought the hosts a second.

That didn't deter Durham though and they continued to seek a goal - Blake seeing a goal-bound strike blocked by Sophie Howard before Janina Leitzig made a stunning one-on-one stop to thwart Mollie Lambert.

A fine passing move from the visitors then saw Dee Bradley fire narrowly over as Durham ended the game as the stronger of the sides.

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