Arsenal display reflected my brave and crazy mindset, says Keating | OneFootball

Khiara Keating believes her stellar performance in City’s hard fought 1-0 victory over Arsenal was a result of her ‘brave and crazy’ mindset.

In a closely contested FA Cup fifth round tie at Meadow Park, Laia Aleixandri gave the visitors the lead with just over 15 minutes to go when showing a poacher’s instinct to tap home inside the box.

In a bid to preserve their status in the competition, Jonas Eidvall’s side produced a late onslaught to try and find an equaliser, but were continually thwarted by the brilliance of City's goalkeeper.

A standout save came when she tipped Kim Little’s swerving and dipping effort over the crossbar on the cusp of full-time.

But Keating says she was just happy to help Gareth Taylor’s team preserve a clean sheet and reach the FA Cup quarter-finals.

“We knew what we had to do which was, at the end of the game, have the opportunity to go into the next round which we did,” she explained.

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“To keep the clean sheet and perform how I think I performed, I feel like it was just a bonus.

“I think it was just concentrating when it leaves her [Little’s] foot, obviously tracking the ball all the way until I make the save. I think it’s moving with the ball.

“They’re just the weird ones so I had to just get there and make the save because it could’ve gone in. I was travelling a long way so I didn’t really know where the goal was, I just had to make the save.

“I think it’s just an element of everything especially being brave and crazy to be honest.”

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Next up for Gareth Taylor’s side is a tantalising trip to leaders Chelsea in the Barclays Women’s Super League on Friday 16 February.

Ahead of the meeting, City sit just one place and three points behind the Londoners as an enthralling title race intensifies.

Keating, though, reiterated the importance of simply focusing on the task at hand.

She added: “Every game this season for the rest of the league is going to be a big game.

“[We want] to go there and get the win, no matter who’s on the pitch for them or for us. We know what we have to do to get the three points.

“Coming up against the people in front of us [and those] who are trying to overtake is always going to be a big game, but we have to treat it like it’s any normal game and we want the three points.

“It would mean a lot [to win trophies this season]. I think it would just show us all the hard work we’ve put in this season and how much we’ve grown since previous seasons.”