Go so far as to cover small animal, with love (3,2)
I believe the answer is:
run to
'go so far as' is the definition.
(run or stretch up to)
'cover small animal with love' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'love' could be 'o' (love means zero in tennis) and 'o' is present in the answer.
'small animal' could be 'runt' (runt of the litter) and 'runt' is present in the answer.
This accounts for all the letters.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'to' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for run to that I've seen before include "Reach" , "Be sufficient for (eg, the purchase of something)" , "Have enough" , "Afford" .)