United Women 1 Arsenal 0

Manchester United earned a hard-fought 1-0 win over Arsenal as the race for the Women's Super League title intensifies.  

The game was a cagey affair that saw visiting captain Leah Williamson  forced off early in the first half due to injury. 

It was Alessia Russo who found the back of the net shortly before half-time, finishing an excellent cross from Nikita Parris. 

The result sees Marc Skinner's side go four points clear of Chelsea at the top of the table. 

FIRST HALF

Skinner made two changes from the side that beat Brighton 3-2 in the Women’s FA Cup on Saturday, with Nikita Parris and Aoife Mannion coming in for Lucia Garcia and Millie Turner respectively.

We started the game strongly with some early chances from Alessia Russo and Leah Galton. The Reds dominated large spells of possession and once again it was Galton who found herself in front of goal but her shot curled just over the bar.

In-form Norwegian midfielder Frida Maanum had the visitors’s best chance of the half when she was afforded plenty of space down the right, before cutting inside and unleashing a shot on goal but Mary Earps was there to comfortably save the effort.

Both sides looked set to go into the break level, but for United displaying a moment of real quality to open up the game. 

In the final minutes of stoppage time, we continued to dominate in possession. Stepping up from defence, Maya Le Tissier executed a sublime pass to Parris, who made an excellent run down the right wing. Our no.22 drove to the byline before pulling the ball back to Russo. Our no.23 made no mistake from the edge of the area, sweeping into the bottom corner to give us a deserved lead. 

SECOND HALF

The visitors made two changes after the break, with Katherine Kuhl and Laura Wienroither replaced by Jennifer Beattie and Steph Catley.

United came close to doubling our lead within minutes of the restart, as Russo forced an impressive save out of Manuela Zinsberger.

In search of an equaliser, the Gunners surged forward in an attempt to carve out a goal-scoring opportunity for Swedish forward Stina Blackstenius. Despite a handful of cagey moments at the back, the Reds kept her at bay, with Galton tracking back and helping out with a decisive block.   

Despite a number of chances from the visitors, United's back four remained strong. Blackstenius was once again amongst it for Arsenal, but her cross was easily saved by Earps with less than 15 minutes left on the clock.  

With only five minutes left on the clock, Ona Batlle was picked up a yellow for what the referee deemed a deliberate hand ball, earning the visitors a dangerous free-kick just outside the area. Maanum stepped up for the Gunners, but her effort sailed well over. 

Skinner's side were forced to see out seven minutes of stoppage time as Jonas Eidevall's side piled on the pressure. They almost snatched a point in the dying seconds of the game, as Zinsberger - up from the back as a last-ditch attempt to score - watched on as her volley went just over Earps's goal. 

All three points mean that United become just the third team in WSL history to complete the league double over Arsenal. 

MATCH DETAILS

United XI: Earps; Batlle, Le Tissier, Mannion, Blundell; Ladd, Zelem; Parris (Thomas 87), Toone (Turner 88), Galton; Russo (Williams 72). 

Unused substitutes: Baggaley, Riviere, Tounkara, Cascarino, Boe Risa, Garcia. 

Goals: Russo 45+6.

Bookings: Zelem 34; Ladd 45; Batlle 86; Blundell 90.

Arsenal XI: Zinsberger; Wienroither (Beattie 45), Wubben-Moy, Rafaelle, Maritz; Williamson (Gio 15; Taylor 73), Walti; Kuhl (Catley 75), Maanum, Pelova; Blackstenius.

Unused substitutes: D’Angelo, Marckese, Goldie, Agyemang. 

Bookings: Gio 45.