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Gibbs - We can't sit back in second leg

Kieran Gibbs says Arsenal must approach their return leg against Fenerbahce in the right manner to avoid handing their Turkish opponents any momentum.

Arsene Wenger's team are in control of their play-off tie after a 3-0 victory in Istanbul on Wednesday - kick-started by Gibbs' close-range strike early in the second half.

"We have to stay focused because you think we're in a strong position but we now have to think about how we go into the next leg"

But Arsenal are no strangers to second-leg heroics after scoring three times against AC Milan at Emirates Stadium last year and Gibbs does not want to be on the receiving end this time.

"It's still not over because we've got another tie," he told Arsenal Player. "We have to stay focused because you think we're in a strong position but we now have to think about how we go into the next leg.

"We have to go in on all cylinders again, otherwise if we sit back and think that we're already through it can put us on the back foot, and we don't want that. We have to be strong and make sure we finish off the job next week."

For now, Gibbs and his team-mates can reflect on a job well done and a fine response to Saturday's Premier League defeat against Aston Villa.

"In terms of putting us in a good position, it [the win] has given us a bit of togetherness," said Gibbs. "I think people have seen tonight what the team is capable of and we have to take this now into the [rest] of the season.

"It [the goal] was a good moment for me. To be honest I felt we deserved to be up in the first half. I knew that to get an away goal tonight would put us in a strong position and we were desperate for that goal. I felt we deserved it and we got our rewards in the end after a good performance.

"I thought we were playing well from the start of the game and to be honest I thought we were better in the first half - we got a little bit apprehensive in the second half because we really wanted to get the goal. But we knew that the chances were going to come and it was a case of taking them when we got the opportunity.

"We know what we're capable of so we don't need to prove it to anyone. But we need to prove to ourselves that we can be consistent and start producing results week-in, week-out. That's down us and that's purely what we're focused on."

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