Wenger: 'After the penalty miss I thought we could win it'

Barclays Premier League
Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham H.



On doing the double over Spurs...
"I think it's one of the few years we beat Tottenham home and away. Even if you have a good record, I cannot remember many days when we got three points out of games like today, so that's a good sign. Even if we are not at our best we can still make three points. Of course, that is good for the belief but you cannot play every week like that and get three points."

On the tradition of the Xmas leaders going on to win the title...
"I believe it is important to be top of the League, I hope your statistics are right, you know? So if they are really right, let's go to the end of the season and give us the title [laughter]. That's the best we can do. I feel it's too tight to say that, in the last two seasons it was only Chelsea or Man United at Christmas, this time there are more teams in it."

On a sloppy first half...
"No, we were not as sharp as we are used to, especially in the first half. In the second half we played much better but once we were 1-0 up we wanted too much to keep the score. That allowed them back into the game, and then Keane missed a sitter, Almunia stopped the penalty and in the end we found the second goal. I thought when they missed the penalty, 'now we can win the game', but if he had scored the penalty I would have thought as well, 'now we have many chances to lose the game.'"

On the rise of Manuel Almunia...
"He came here without a CV and without a name, so you have to make a name with performances in a big club. As a goalkeeper without a name it's not easy. He had to make experience inside the club at some stage. You see your senior goalkeeper is good, how can he become a goalkeeper for Arsenal Football Club? By playing. But you know, he has never played in a big club before and he will make a few mistakes. At the moment he looks to me, in three or four games, he has gained calm and confidence. You see that he is a good goalkeeper."

On scoring from corners...
"I think we have resulted by having Bendtner, 6ft 4ins, good in the air. He scored a great header. It is strange because when a guy comes on, you organise your team. For example Tottenham makes individual marking - 'you take him, you take him, you take him'. And there's a fraction of a second where you cannot communicate when a guy comes on, and you could see he was completely free. That's what happens sometimes because nobody on the pitch says 'you take this tall guy', and we scored."

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On Dimitar Berbatov...
"He's a bit like Thierry Henry, position-wise, because he doesn't turn up where you want him to turn up, he knows where to be. Frankly I thought he was outstanding today. Keane had a good game as well, they worked all very hard. They defended very well Tottenham when they lost the ball."

On his Christmas DVD's...
"Many yes, we have this to watch today and then Portsmouth to prepare for. I will be able to watch to watch Milan tomorrow. "