Arsenal’s captain, Kim Little, has emphasised the high standards required to challenge Chelsea in the race for the Women’s Super League title.

With Arsenal trailing by three points, Little discusses the team’s determination and the importance of maintaining close competition with Chelsea.

Arsenal’s captain, Kim Little, has stressed that her team must be “almost perfect” to rival Chelsea for the Women’s Super League (WSL) title. Arsenal, currently in second place, are three points behind Chelsea, the defending champions. The team has rebounded with five straight league wins after initially dropping points in their first two games.

Little, speaking to BBC World Service’s Sportsworld, said, “We always want to disrupt Chelsea. It’s part of the rivalry. It’s just about making sure we keep ourselves in the race and keep ourselves close to them, because we know that they won’t make too many mistakes either.”

Despite currently being injured, Little expressed hope of returning to the pitch soon, though her availability for the upcoming game against West Ham is uncertain. A win in this match would secure Arsenal’s sixth consecutive league victory.

Reflecting on the challenges of the season, Little remarked, “We know that to beat Chelsea and win the league, we need to be almost perfect. To win any league title over nine, ten months, you have to be perfect.” She acknowledged Chelsea’s high standards in recent years and the impact of Arsenal’s early-season losses.

Little, part of Arsenal’s last WSL title-winning squad in 2018-19, mentioned that this achievement “feels quite far away” now.

Arsenal’s recent form has been aided by the return of Beth Mead and Vivienne Miedema from injuries, but they are still without Leah Williamson.

Little, who has also suffered a significant hamstring injury, underscored the importance of players like Mead, saying, “All injuries are tough, especially those longer term ones… But players like Beth coming back into the squad is great for the team because they are such high quality.”