Gunners captain Kim Little looked as hungry as ever on Wednesday night when she marked her 400th appearance for Arsenal by helping them rack up a 4-0 win away to Belgian side OH Leuven [Keeran Marquis/SPP]

WELSH soul singer Duffy was topping the charts with her earworm Mercy, and heist thriller The Bank Job, starring Jason Statham, was proving a big hit with weekend cinema-goers.

It’s the first Sunday in March 2008, and a small crowd meets at Tadcaster Albion FC to see Arsenal thump Leeds United 4-0 in the FA Women’s Premier League.

Making her debut in the iconic red & white jersey was a 17-year-old midfielder already tipped as a future star.

Kim Little would go on to surpass all expectations, winning everything there is to win in the domestic game.

Yet the irrepressible Gunners captain looked as hungry as ever on Wednesday night when she marked her 400th appearance for Arsenal by helping them rack up another 4-0 victory – this time away to Belgian side OH Leuven in the Women’s Champions League.

Celebrating the occasion, Little told Arsenal’s official club website: “It’s incredibly special. Obviously, first and foremost, we came here and [put in] a really good performance; scored four goals and got a clean sheet – but yes, it was nice then to just recognise 400 games.

“It just feels so special. I’m incredibly proud to have represented this club that many times.”

After the final whistle Little was thrown into the air during the post-match huddle by her teammates. “They’ll have done that because they knew I would have hated it!” she added.

“They make every game so much fun and enjoyable, so let’s hope for a few more as well.”

Thinking back to her debut, Little recalled: “Yes, Leeds away, first game. I travelled down with my mum, Julie Fleeting, and Julie Stewart at the time.

“It’s a long time ago now, but I still remember it quite vividly and, 399 games later, here we are. It’s really special.”

The Gunners took a massive leap towards setting up a Champions League quarter-final against London rivals Chelsea after dominating their play-off first leg at OH Leuven.

Frida Maanum scored either side of half-time, while Olivia Smith made it four goals in her last four outings with an instinctive first-time finish. Barely 10 minutes after stepping off the substitutes’ bench Alessia Russo added a fourth, making next Wednesday’s second leg at Meadow Park a mere formality.

Praising her side’s dominant display, Arsenal head coach Renée Slegers, of course, was quick to play down any talk of the job already being done.

She said: “It’s everything we wanted. A clean sheet, goals, good performances, a lot of players involved, a lot of players contributing to the team’s performance. Really happy.

“This was only the first half, so we still have those 90 minutes to play at home, but it’s a really good starting position for the second leg.

“There were some really good goals. I think, three out of the four, I have to watch them back, but they are such good goals – all the way, how we combine and build up to that final finish.”

Next up, the Gunners will set their sights on a return to WSL action when they travel to Brighton on Sunday.