Wenger: 'A little goal made a massive result'


on a vital win...
Yes, it was a very difficult game because we played against an organised Liverpool team. It was a very tight game as well but in the end we turned it in our favour because we were resilient. We have shown good togetherness, good discipline as well, and then we got that little goal which makes a massive result for us tonight. Nobody realises what it is to play Man United, Chelsea and Liverpool on the trot. Physically and mentally it is very demanding, especially with two massive disappointments. It shows the team is solid, mentally strong and determined.

on the nature of the game...
I think it was a highly tactical game against a Liverpool team that didn't give us any space to play. We found it difficult to get our passing going because they were always in our way. We needed to be patient and not make a defensive mistake. They had one or two chances as well but in the end we got that goal. When you have the two results we had before [against Man United and Chelsea] the most important thing is to win the game.

on challenging for the title...
Let's be consistent and try to win our next game. I believe we will fight until the last second of the season and we did that tonight. That's what we want to continue to do. We believe we have a chance and you could see again that Chelsea lost tonight, Man United dropped points, so it is open for everybody. Everybody can drop points everywhere.

on his belief in their title chances...
I don't see any mathematical reason why we shouldn't believe. It can change quickly but for us it is more important for us to focus on winning our next game than speaking about the title because we had a big shock in our last two games. It was important to recover and come back with a win.

on the substitutions of Arshavin and Nasri...
Arshavin has a hamstring problem and Nasri had a knock on his head. He felt unwell and I didn't want to take a chance because it was his head. That's why I took him off. He wanted to stay on but he felt sick so I didn't want to take a chance. We have to make a scan on Arshavin tomorrow.

on a controversial final minute...
It was a controversial situation. I felt the free-kick against us was harsh because Gerrard I don't think deserved the free-kick he got. Afterwards maybe Cesc touched the ball with his hand but you could argue that there shouldn't have been a free-kick.

on accusations that Gerrard dived to win a penalty...
I leave that controversial side to you [the reporters]. I am sure you can make something out of it but do it without me.

on Nicklas Bendtner's booking for a dive...
Frankly from outside it didn't look like that. I have been told that [it was] but I thought first of all the referee had given a penalty; unfortunately he gave us a yellow card. He [Bendtner] will be upset but I have to check the video. It is very difficult to say if he has been touched.

Quelle: arsenal.com