Manchester United stayed top of the table and dealt a blow to Arsenal's WSL title chances after Alessia Russo ’s goal secured all three points.
United did the double over their championship rivals, but a tight contest was overshadowed by a potentially serious injury to England skipper Leah Williamson, with the World Cup finals less than 100 days away. In the early stages, Williamson went down after her knee jolted when turning for a loose ball and limped down the tunnel, later spotted on crutches.
Russo, subject of a record bid from Arsenal in the January transfer window, made the Gunners pay when slotting home with the final moment of an otherwise quiet first-half. The England forward given a simple finish after Maya Le Tissier and Nikita Parris combined down the right wing.
Arsenal struggled to respond after the break failing to consistently create chances. Although the visitors did go close when Frida Maanum wasted a late free-kick.
The result means the hosts are now four points clear of second placed Chelsea, while Arsenal are six points adrift. The Gunners now have to recover for a Champions League semi-final, with a first leg away to Wolfsburg set for Sunday.
Here are the big talking points from the latest twist in a WSL title race for the ages.
Arsenal and England suffer potential Williamson injury blow
Less than 15 minutes into the match, the Lionesses captain went down with an apparent knee injury and signalled from the ground to be taken off.
Williamson was already playing in midfield to compensate for Arsenal's recent loss of midfielder Kim Little to injury, notching another injury concern for Eidevall's depleted squad and a potential blow to England's World Cup hopes, with the summer's showpiece event less than 100 days away.
Despite a stretcher being carried onto the pitch and the 26-year-old's discernible distress at the situation, Williamson opted to gingerly walk off the pitch to a raucous and hopeful applause from fans.
Williamson was later seen emerging from the tunnel on crutches during the second-half.
Williamson marks the latest injury concern to blight Eidevall's squad this season, as well as the latest name to add to the concerningly bloated catalogue of knee injuries that have gripped women's football of late.
England are already without defender Millie Bright, who limped off during the first leg of Chelsea's Women's Champions League quarter-final first leg against Lyon with a knee problem.
United remain top of the table as Arsenal title challenge crumbles
Manchester United moved six points clear of Arsenal and four points clear of Chelsea with Wednesday night's huge victory, albeit both sides have games in hand.
Nevertheless, United's win marked a significant step forward in their battle for the title and momentum will be with Skinner's side as they head into the season's arduous and thrilling final furlong.
Both sides look physically drained after the international break as they played out the 1-0, but United displayed a dimension of guile and grit that had not been synonymous with the Skinner's side of yet, but as they continue to cut themselves silverware contenders in England, such a dimension will be critical.
The final few weeks of the season will require mental strength as much as physical strength and United’s victory, a team performance built on defensive solidity, suggests they might just edge their competitors in both.
Meanwhile, Eidevall will be forced to wrestle with a worrisome glut of injuries as he considers the remainder of his season and his priorities in Europe.
United do historic double on Arsenal
Russo's first-half strike completed Manchester United's historic double over Arsenal, becoming only the third club in history to complete the feat.
While one should take care before imbuing matches with rash meaning (particularly with Arsenal's injuries), United's double suggests a demarcation line for the club's progression into the top echelons of the league.
Against Chelsea at home, United failed to hold their nerve on a big occasion, letting slip their infancy in terms of big-game know-how. Arsenal's freakish depleted ranks must be factored in, but United demonstrated a grittiness imperative to any title-winning side.
Arsenal injury crisis as Eidevall fixture criticisms ring true
Arsenal’s ostensible bad juju grew from bad to worse against Manchester United as both Williamson and Frida Maanum were forced off through respective injuries in the first-half.
Williamson hobbled off with an apparent knee injury before Maanum joined her teammate shortly after due to an issue with her ankle. Neither went down due to challenges.
The double injury sees Arsenal's tally increase to three this week after Little joined star strikers Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema on the physio's table.
Maanum's potential injury represents a critical blow for Arsenal's frail attacking ranks, with the 23-year-old nabbing four goals in the team's last five matches.
Eidevall can feel rightfully aggrieved at his increasingly thinning squad depth. His earlier criticisms of the preferential fixture schedule afforded Chelsea in the lead-up to Wednesday ring especially poignant now.
A Champions League first-leg semi-final against Wolfsburg awaits the Gunners. Whether Eidevall approaches the match differently in light of the injuries remains to be seen.
Alessia Russo watch
A stuttering blancmange first-half punctuated by injuries and yellow cards was crying out for a semblance of poise, and on the stroke of half-time it was Russo who delivered.
A second game-winner against Arsenal, Russo's first-half goal proved decisive.
Born out of Nikita Parris blitzing down the right touchline and beating Arsenal’s Noelle Maritz, Parris -- a largely peripheral figure until the goal -- cut a low ball back to Russo in the middle and the Lioness made no mistake as she slotted her shot into the far left corner.
Attacking quality came at a premium on Wednesday night from both sides, and it was United's defence who ensured the spoils went the home side's way as an attack-heavy Arsenal piled on pressure in the second half.
The goal marked Russo's eleventh of the season, her joint-highest return in senior football. Despite continuing to show glimpses of threat, the 24-year-old could not augment her tally and was substituted on the 70th minute for Rachel Williams.
Aoife Mannion shows calibre in first WSL start
It’s been a challenging 13 months for Mannion, who was forced to the sidelines after an ACL injury sustained in last season’s Conti Cup semi-final against Chelsea.
But the 27-year-old's commanding defensive performance betrayed her lack of WSL action as she reduced Stina Blackstenius and the rest of Arsenal's attack to figures of frustration by her show of strength and tenacity, even producing a goal-saving block early in the match to establish the scene.
United's defence was thrust under heady pressure from Arsenal in the second-half, but Mannion, alongside Maya Le Tissier, did well to buoy United against Arsenal's salvos and showed commendable calm in the face of Quieroz Costa's press, while Mary Earps demonstrated her prowess in goal.
Skinner spoke pre-match about the necessary for “tweaking” and “freshness in the right areas” when queried on Mannion’s inclusion in Wednesday’s starting XI, and his decision to trust his squad was well justified.
The Republic of Ireland international nearly etched her name in the history books as a loose ball fell dangerously close to her inside the Arsenal box in the first half, but a lack of game time betrayed her and the shot was scuffed.
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