Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said his side answered the critics by getting “back to basics” after their midweek European nightmare to grind out a 2-0 victory over Everton and move back to third in the Barclays Premier League.
Wenger had slammed Arsenal’s “suicidal defending”, which cost them in a 3-1 home defeat by Monaco in the first leg of their Uefa Champions League last-16 clash on Wednesday.
There was, though, no repeat against Everton at the Emirates Stadium as Olivier Giroud, who missed several chances in midweek, netted a fine volley on 39 minutes.
The late deflected effort from substitute Tomas Rosicky secured all three points as Arsenal made the most of Manchester City’s defeat at Liverpool yesterday.
“It was vital for us, for the rest of the season, to win the game today,” said Wenger, whose side are four points behind City and one ahead of Manchester United.
“What was very important was that we had a mentally united response and we showed that. We are proud of the response that we showed.
“Our defensive concentration was at a much higher level than on Wednesday night.
“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.”
Wenger said he felt his side had answered questions over a perceived lack of leadership.
“I can understand that we got this kind of criticism after the game because it looked like that, but it’s not permanent,” he said. “It can sometimes be occasional that not everybody is focused on the right things in the game.”
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Wenger had given Gabriel Paulista his first Premier League start, with centre-back Per Mertesacker left on the bench along with England duo Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott.
He had no hesitation in giving Giroud another chance in attack.
“When a guy misses one game, straight away to take him out [would be harsh] and I thought his presence would be important against Everton,” said Wenger, who confirmed midfielder Francis Coquelin had broken his nose in an accidental clash of heads with French striker Giroud in the second half.
“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.”
Everton, who had been impressive winners of their Europa League tie against Young Boys on Thursday night, had plenty of possession yesterday, but could not find a way past David Ospina, who made a superb point-blank save from Everton striker Romelu Lukaku just after the hour.
Manager Roberto Martinez accepts his team are “not enjoying” their Premier League campaign this season with only one win from the last 11.
“You have a 2-0 scoreline, but it doesn’t reflect what happened on the pitch. Unfortunately that is the story of our season,” he said.
“We have not had the momentum that allows you to win games, that is something we need to change quickly.”
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