The qualities Arsenal showed in Manchester City defeat, according to captain Kim Little | OneFootball

Kim Little (Photo by Daniela Porcelli/SPP)

Arsenal captain Kim Little says her team are disappointed with their failure to take anything away from the Joie Stadium on Saturday – losing 3-2 to Manchester City.

Goals from Bunny Shaw and Kerstin Casparij were cancelled out by Mariona Caldentey and substitute Chloe Kelly, before City’s own sub Iman Beney scored the winner a few minutes before full-time.

And Little said that her side did well to get those two goals back – even if ultimately it wasn’t quite enough.

“We showed resilience in those moments to come back and to score those goals,” she told the club’s official website. “Obviously, our game changers coming on the field made a real impact in that sense, got us back to 2-2 and obviously City have a lot of quality, and they took their chances, I think, more clinically than us, which obviously edged in the game.”

The 35-year-old has spent almost 15 years at Arsenal across two stints, with spells overseas with Seattle Reign and Melbourne City after beginning her career at Hibs.

Kim Little: We need to improve on this performance on Tuesday

Little admitted it was a difficult game – but added that the Gunners should have done better.

“We know coming away to City is a difficult fixture, but we also know that we have every ability to win this game. And yeah, I think we’ll have to reflect and look back on the moments in the game that we should have capitalised and we didn’t, and they did.

“They were able to shift the momentum, maybe at really key moments, even though we’ve had it. So yeah, just disappointed. But we need to regroup and we’ve got a game again in three days, so we’ll reflect and hopefully improve on that come Tuesday.”

It is less than ideal preparation as they get ready to start their defence of their UEFA Women’s Champions League title – against Lyon on Tuesday, 7th October.

Arsenal won last season’s competition with a 1-0 victory over Barcelona in Lisbon in May, thanks to a goal from Stina Blackstenius. It was their second European title following the triumph of Vic Akers’ side in 2007, when they also won a domestic treble.

Arsenal are now fifth in the WSL table, with two wins and two draws. Their last league title came in 2019, under Joe Montemurro.

Their next match in the league is on Sunday, 12th October, when they host Brighton and Hove Albion.