Wenger - We were patient and intelligent

Arsene Wenger has hailed his side’s patience and intelligence following their last-gasp victory against Southampton on Wednesday night.

The Gunners put the visitors under concerted pressure in the closing stages but had to wait for Alexis Sanchez’s 89th-minute strike to seal the points.

Wenger was relieved to see his side secure a third successive victory and praised the maturity and calmness under pressure that they displayed.

“It was a game where we needed to be patient and intelligent not to make a defensive mistake,” the manager told Arsenal Player. “That is why we need to keep the core in the middle of the team.

“[Southampton] were well organised and in the last 20 minutes you could feel they started to suffer physically and we took advantage of that. I knew before the game that we could win it in the last 15 minutes and fortunately it happened. Honestly in the second half I don’t think they had many dangerous situations.

“It was difficult to keep our calm but we are professional football players. The crowd was a bit nervous but overall we kept a clean sheet and won the game. We know we can score at any moment.”

The Gunners are heading into a packed Christmas schedule and Wenger is pleased with the form his side are showing.

“It is a very important period but one thing is for sure - we are not under huge pressure for game No 6 in the Champions League,” he said. “[With] the week we had behind us and the week we have now, to go to Galatasaray for a decisive game would be very difficult.

“At least we are not under massive pressure there so let’s focus on our next game at Stoke. It is a difficult place for us to go but let’s show there that we have improved and we can deal with it.”