Swansea 0-2 Arsenal
Coach Wenger reacts:
on the win…
The attitude of our players and our team was outstanding. Even when the legs were a bit less fresh, we kept going and refused to drop points. We knew before the game what was expected, and we gave absolutely everything until the end. What we did in the last three days is always difficult to do for any team. To win away in the Champions League and win straight away three days later in the Premier League is very difficult. I would like to congratulate the players for that.
on the importance of three points…
We’ll know that at the end of the season. The win was absolutely wanted from us. We couldn’t drop points today to have a chance – we are in that situation. We have shown as well that we are up for a fight and we will do that until the end of the season.
on the players’ celebrations after the second goal…
I came out many times and said I’m a great admirer of the attitude of this team. I think to win a big game on Wednesday night transformed the belief of the team a little bit. We’ve struggled during the season to find that and I think you could see today again that you cannot question the attitude of these players. The solidarity they showed are qualities that will be needed until the last day of the season.
on being under pressure after Everton’s win…
It will be like that until the end of the season now. We have one advantage – we know what is expecting us and we have already been in this situation before. We have the right spirit and the right attitude.
on sensing it wouldn’t be Arsenal’s day when Oxlade-Chamberlain hit the bar twice…
We just kept trying. You cannot convert every chance into a goal and they defended well as well. We defended well. It was a game of defensive stability. We just needed an opening somewhere. It was down to the team who scored the first today.
on the first goal coming from an unlikely source…
I think if you look at the chances Swansea created today, it’s very little. We were defensively stable and from then on, you can use any mistake of your opponent to win the game.
on winning games by defending well…
We defended high up the pitch today and [for] the whole second half, we tried to keep them in their half. We didn’t create clear-cut chances until the last 20 minutes. From then on, once you are 1-0 up, they really had to come and it all became easier.
on Michu taking exception to Fabianski’s post-match celebration…
You have the right to celebrate without being provocative. I know Fabianski well. I know that he had not even seen Michu when he celebrated.
