Arsene Wenger delighted with Arsenal response in 'vital' victory over Everton
Sunday 1 March 2015 18:50, UK
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger hailed his side's "mental response" after they returned to winning ways with victory over Everton.
The Gunners saw their Champions League hopes dealt a severe blow on Wednesday evening as they were beaten 3-1 by Monaco in the first leg of their last-16 tie at the Emirates.
But they recovered from the disappointing result to beat Everton 2-0 in the Premier League on Sunday, with Olivier Giroud and Tomas Rosicky getting the goals.
“What was very important today was that we had a mentally united response and we showed that,” Wenger told Arsenal’s official website.
It was vital for us, for the rest of the season, to win the game today.
“We are proud of the response that we showed today. Our defensive concentration was at a much higher level than on Wednesday night.
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“We know that we can do better with the ball but overall what was important for us was to respond with a win. We got it and not everybody can produce that after such a disappointment. It was vital for us, for the rest of the season, to win the game today.”
Wenger was also full of praise for Giroud, who netted the opening goal against Everton after missing a number of chances in midweek.
“He responded very well and I’m not happy only because he scored a goal but also because of the workrate he put in today from the first to the last minute,” he said.
“When a guy misses (chances in) one game, straight away to take him out (would be harsh) and I thought his presence would be important against Everton.
“Olivier’s great quality is when his back’s to the wall - he has the personality and the character to respond. Because I know him better now, that’s one of the reasons why I kept him in the team.
"He acknowledged that he missed his game and he will respond because he has the strength to do it.”
The win over Everton is Arsenal’s sixth in their last seven Premier League matches and sees them return to third in the table above Manchester United.
“If you look at our Premier League run since November, I think we are in a good position,” said Wenger. “On the fluency front, we can do better but today our first worry was just to win the game."
