Arsenal manager Renee Slegers reckons there is still room for improvement after beating Chelsea 3-1 in their Champions League quarter-final first leg.
The reigning European Champions will take a 3-1 lead to Stamford Bridge next week after goals from Stina Blackstenius, Chloe Kelly, and Alessia Russo.
Lauren James had initially given Chelsea hope by making it 2-1 with a curled effort from far out which sailed into the top corner, but the Blues have left themselves a lot of work to do in the second leg.
Slegers was happy that her team had managed to turn the margins of a close game in their favour,
"Very tight game, I think both teams created chances, and there was very little time and space in the middle of the pitch, so there were a lot of duels from second balls.
"We know that Chelsea always start strong in the first 15 [minutes], but we managed to come back and manage the game well, and the different phases that it had.
"There are still things that we would want to do better and look at for the second leg, but for half-time [in the tie], I am happy for the players and their performance because there was a lot of grittiness and mentality going on.
"There are a lot of things that I am happy with, by the way, but we stay critical because it was a tight game, and in certain moments, we can definitely look at how to manage those moments better.
"It is a lot about the mentality and mindset of the team throughout the game, whatever the scenario, and whatever the momentum, we were in the game constantly and were happy to do the work even if spaces were congested.
"Then it is a lot about the battles in the middle of the park, and doing things differently - that is what I am most proud of."
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