Little taking Arsenal a long way

Arsenal LFC have never failed to make the last eight on all of their European entries and the goalscoring of Kim Little has been vital to them claiming a place in the UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-finals.

Goalscoring form
A 2-0 win against AC Sparta Praha on Wednesday ensured Arsenal progressed from a round of 16 tie they already led thanks to three unanswered first-leg goals in the Czech Republic. Kim Little converted a penalty in Prague and struck from open play in the return to take her tournament tally to nine goals from four games, and in 12 competitive appearances this season she has now scored 20 times. However, the 19-year-old Scottish international was just happy to be in the the draw on Friday week and is setting her sights on the Madrid final.

Final aim
"We got a clean sheet and got through to the quarter-finals, which is the most important thing," Little said. "They were physical but I think we did well and we got the two goals – we did what we needed to do. It's quarter-finals; you're hoping to get a good draw but just to be there at that stage, one step closer."

Spirit
While the Gunners were always favoured to win through, having made seven UEFA Women's Cup quarter-finals prior to the introduction of this revamped competition, they received a wake-up call on Sunday when they trailed league rivals Chelsea LFC by two at half-time before coming back to win 3-2. "We don't go two down at half-time often but it shows how good we are and how much we want to win every game, the whole team wants to," Little said. "We're not just a good footballing team, we want to win as much as any team does."

Target
That spirit, Little believes, has been helped by the European visits to Prague and, in the round of 32, FC PAOK of Greece. "We also went on a [pre-season] trip to Germany, the whole squad for a few days," Little said. "It definitely brings the team closer." It helps when she scores as freely as she does, already close to her aim of matching last season's total of 24 goals. "I made that my target but I'd like to score more than last year," Little added.

• Kim Little is the top UEFA Women's Champions League scorer among those players whose teams remain in the competition and also those whose side did not play in the qualifying round, but still two adrift of overall leader Vanessa Bürki of eliminated FC Bayern München. For the full list click here.