Kyle praises team's character

Kyle Walker admitted his disappointment at the defeat to Arsenal at the weekend, but remained upbeat as we look forward to hosting Crystal Palace on Saturday.

We suffered a 2-0 reverse at the Emirates in the third round of the FA Cup – but it’s a setback the England international believes we can take in our stride.

“I thought they had a few good chances in the first half but we came right back at them in the second half,” assessed Kyle post-match at the Emirates. “The ball just didn’t fall for us today.

“With Theo (Walcott) playing up top, the centre-backs are always going to drop a little bit deeper because of his pace, which is natural.

“I think we showed a lot of character today, we kept going. We’ve come here previously and it’s been higher than 2-0.

“I think you have to give credit where credit is due. Arsenal are a good passing side. I thought we did alright but obviously we didn’t come away with the result that we wanted and the fans wanted so it was a disappointment.”

Despite our early exit from the FA Cup, Kyle reckons our Premier League momentum remains largely unaffected as we prepare to host Palace on Saturday.

“Credit is due to all the lads who have played that we’ve picked up results,” he added.

“Obviously going to Manchester United, which is a difficult place to go, and getting a result was fantastic. The Arsenal game was a disappointment but now we move on and we look forward to Crystal Palace.”