'I would like to give Danny credit’

 Arsene Wenger says Danny Welbeck deserves extra credit for his performance against Everton - because he wasn’t certain to start at Goodison Park.

The England international returned from an 10-month absence with the winning goal against Leicester City on February 14, but Wenger has used him sparingly while he builds up his fitness.

Welbeck started at Barcelona earlier in the week and justified his inclusion at Everton with a well-taken opening goal and a willingness to close down and track back as Arsenal worked hard off the ball.

“We had a long uncertainty with Danny today,” Wenger told Arsenal Player. “[We wondered] If he could absorb a second game.

“I would like to give Danny credit today because it was not obvious he would play because he had some problems. Overall, he was very strong and had a good performance.”

Saturday’s win was memorable for Alex Iwobi’s first senior goal but also for a dynamic team performance as Arsenal took control early on and outclassed Everton at times.

“I believe it was a convincing performance with the continuity of our performance in Barcelona - it is in line with how we want to play,” said Wenger.

“We want to play with a game based on movement and technical ability and attacking football. We could see that all today, especially in the first half. The second half was a bit more difficult physically but that is normal.

“It was vital [to win] today,” added Wenger. “If we didn’t win today we were certainly [out of the title race] completely. We are ready for a fight and we have to keep the attitude and performance we showed today and hope everyone comes back from the international break in good shape.”