Jonas Eidevall was disappointed by our 2-0 loss to Chelsea on Sunday afternoon but did not want the result to dampen our Women's Super League campaign.
Speaking pitchside at Kingsmeadow, our head coach attributed the defeat to a lack of ingenuity in the first half and missed opportunities in the second.
"I think we got off to a slow start," said Eidevall after the final whistle. "Chelsea are very aggressive in their pressing. We were prepared for that, but we did not find enough equality to play our way out of their pressure, which led to them building a lot of momentum in the first half.
"What I'm proud of is that we managed to turn that around. We improved our quality, we found our way back into the game, and we started moving the ball better and faster."
The only two goals of the game came in the first 45 minutes as the hosts capitalised on their early dominance. When the pendulum swung back in our direction after the half-time break, promising chances were never translated into anything tangible.
"We were not efficient enough with our goalscoring opportunities. If we had converted one of those really clear opportunities, penalty included, I think we could really have changed the game from a result perspective as well.
"We need to convert and that's disappointing of course, but I'm still proud of the players for the way that they stuck with it and the way they turned the game around from a performance perspective."
Once again, our stalwart away support made for a spectacular atmosphere away from home. Eidevall paid tribute to the fanbase for encouraging our squad through thick and thin this season.
"It's hard to put into words, but it's part of what's made this season special. It's part of making the future bright. So keep on being loud. Keep on being supportive. We love it."
Now our focus turns to next Saturday and the final game of the season. We head back to home soil, hosting Aston Villa at Meadow Park to try and secure Champions League football for next year.
"It's an important game. We need to recover, refresh and then be ready to go against Villa. We'll leave everything on the pitch next Saturday.
"Our aim is to finish as high as possible in the table. Most realistically, that's going to be third place. Let's bring it all on Saturday. Let's do our very best. Let's try and finish the season on a high."
To watch Jonas' full post-match interview, click play on the video above.
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