Wenger - Response and result came first

Arsene Wenger has praised his team for their pragmatic approach to Sunday's game against Everton.

Arsenal were far from their free-flowing best in beating Everton 2-0 at Emirates Stadium but the manner of the victory - especially in the wake of a deflating Champions League defeat to Monaco - impressed Wenger.

"It was a test of character and it was a mental response that was important," he told Arsenal Player.

"It was a mental victory to respond to what happened to us on Wednesday night. To win the game is just vital. We did it in a very convincing way. We know that we can do better with the ball but we were focused on just winning the game and I like that aspect of the team as well.

"There was a big tension and I can tell you that in the last four days the tension was massive as you can imagine. At the end of the day, it’s down to the response and the result and I’m convinced that is important and the three points will be vital for our confidence."

Wenger's faith in Olivier Giroud was repaid when the France striker opened the scoring six minutes before half-time.

"He missed the chances [against Monaco] but he didn’t score the three goals we conceded on Wednesday," said the manager. "You know that Olivier acknowledged he missed the chances and he’s strong enough to give us the right response like he did. That’s credit to him.

"It’s tighter and tighter [at the top of the table]," added Wenger, "and that just shows you that we need the confidence, we need the consistency and we need the focus. Everton are a very good side and in the Premier League you can drop points against anybody. It’s important that you maintain that kind of focus in the team."