Arsene Wenger admits it took two lucky goals to beat Celtic in the first leg of their Champions League play-off at Parkhead - but the Arsenal boss insists they deserved their good fortune.
Two minutes from the end of an enthralling first half, Cesc Fabregas' drive from 30 yards took a wicked deflection off William Gallas' back to send the ball spinning past helpless Celtic keeper Artur Boruc.
The Gunners put one foot in the group stages in the 71st minute when Celtic skipper Gary Caldwell put the ball past Boruc in his attempt to cut out a Gael Clichy cross.
Wenger, however, insists his side deserved their win on the night regardless of how it came about.
He said: "It was a fierce battle.
"We dominated the game but Celtic were always fighting and counter-attacking and in the end, despite being in control, we scored two lucky goals.
"But yes, of course, we merited the good fortune.
"I concede that we were lucky with the goals but we had plenty of opportunity in the first 15 minutes of the second half.
"We needed a very strong Arsenal side to win the game.
"The crowd was up for it and the team was up for it and if it had been an average performance from Arsenal we would not have won the game.
"The atmosphere was better than the Premier League and people were fair.
"Celtic were organised and even at 2-0 they never gave up."
Wenger was at pains to stress that his side will not take the second leg for granted.
He said: "We have a good advantage, but it is 180 minutes and we are in front after 90 minutes.
"You want to play well for 180 and that is our purpose.
"We have to make sure we win the game at home, we have to take it serious and it is a massive game."
Wenger claimed his side did well to survive some robust play from the home side who had Danny Fox, Glenn Loovens and Landry N'Guemo booked.
"There were some bad fouls," Wenger said.
"The referee took some time to intervene and we had some harsh treatment. But I am very happy with the commitment of my team despite the physical approach of some Celtic players.
"I could understand that from Celtic's point of view but what made it more interesting is how we respond to that and I believe we did that well."
Wenger's opposite number Tony Mowbray bemoaned the nature of Arsenal's goals but insisted his side can still reach the group stages.
"The nature of the goals was very disappointing, it sort of knocks the stuffing out of what you're trying to do," Mowbray told Sky Sports.
"But Arsenal were very good on the night; exceptional with the ball but brilliant without the ball. It was a frustrating night.
"We've got to go there next week and score the first goal and if we do that it might make it interesting."
Caldwell believes Arsenal's performance provided a guide for where Celtic need to be if they are to really challenge in Europe.
"They were better than us, they passed the ball better," Caldwell said.
"We've seen how far we have to go to get to that level. They're one of the best teams in the Champions League."
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Arsenal will make it to the group stage and it will be a force to reckon with. However I don't see them winning the title this year, perhaps a semi-final or quarter final. The only way they can win is if they are lucky and avoid teams like Manchester or Barcelona and they eliminate each other and another weaker team makes it through like when Porto won.
ReplyDeleteArsenal deserved victory and will not have problems to advance to the next phase.
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