Arsene Wenger has thanked our fans for the part they played in helping us earn a point against Manchester City.
An early goal from Leroy Sane could have knocked the stuffing out of the team - as could Sergio Aguero’s strike just before half-time. But the home fans willed the team on and were rewarded with a second equaliser from Shkodran Mustafi.
“I would like to thank the fans today,” Wenger told Arsenal Player.
“In the moments we suffered, they were absolutely amazing in a positive way. Today, that was a very important moment in the game. If they had turned against us when we were 1-0 down, alongside dealing with the nerves, it would have made things worse. They really helped the team recover and we are grateful for that.
“Overall, yes 2-2 was a fair result,” added the boss. “You could see that we played with a bit of nerves as we started the game in a nervous way. Our confidence was not at its highest. Today was a real mental test about how united we are and how ready we are for a fight.
“Could we respond when we were a goal down against Manchester City who are very dangerous in the transitions? On the mental front it was a very positive response from our team. I hope and I’m sure it will help us to restart with more confidence in the next games.
“We were 2-1 down having just conceded a goal before half-time. There’s no worse moment mentally than that but we responded well in the second half. I felt the team deserved a point today. Mathematically it was not the best operation but mentally for the end of our season, it was an important point.”
The big regret was conceding so soon after Theo Walcott’s goal to make it 1-1. Just seconds had elapsed when David Silva fed Aguero and he found the bottom corner.
“I felt we were a bit out of position, out of shape,” said Wenger. “Our structure was suddenly loose. It was quite good until then and after, in the second half, it was good again.
“That was just the moment when we were caught and we lost the ball in our own half. After that we lost a tackle and then we were caught. They have the quality players who can punish you with any mistake.”
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