Frida Maanum is closed down as Aston Villa netted a well-earned 2-0 win at Meadow Park on Saturday [Liam Asman/SPP]

A FINAL-day defeat couldn’t dampen Jonas Eidevall’s spirit as he praised Arsenal for going “above and beyond” in their quest for glory.

The Gunners saw their Women’s Super League campaign end in disappointment on Saturday as goals from Rachel Daly and Alisha Lehmann earned Aston Villa a deserved 2-0 victory at Meadow Park.

Thankfully the north Londoners were able to cash in on their defensive resoluteness shown on previous match days as they took third place – finishing above Manchester City on goal difference to book a spot in next season’s Champions League.

There were plenty of highlights for Eidevall and the Arsenal fans to enjoy this season, including seeing the club end their four-year wait for a trophy when they beat Chelsea 3-1 to lift the Continental League Cup.

“The players and staff group have gone above and beyond what has been asked of them and we’re very proud of that,” said the Arsenal boss. “If we look at how we’ve progressed, we’ve won a trophy, we were close to getting into the Champions League final and we get the Champions League spot for next season. With all the injuries and challenges we had, I think it went very well.”