Tuesday 30 September 2014 10:08, UK
Arsene Wenger praised Arsenal’s spirit and determination against Tottenham Hotspur but was disappointed at having to settle for a 1-1 draw.
The Gunners fell behind against their north London rivals at the Emirates Stadium as Nacer Chadli struck for Spurs in the 56th minute.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain equalised after 74 minutes and Arsenal dominated the closing stages, but they could not force a winner and Wenger admitted after the final whistle he was not entirely satisfied.
“We had a lot of quality and I am frustrated it finished 1-1 because we put the effort in,” Wenger told Sky Sports.
“We had great spirit and great determination. On top of that, we were 1-0 down and I think we had 77 per cent possession, which is unbelievable in a game like that.
“I am frustrated because we dropped two points and also because we didn’t do enough with our set–pieces.
“Especially with our corners, we have real room for improvement there, because when you have 14 corners at home and three or four free-kicks around the box, we must do better.”
Wenger added: “I give credit to the team for what they did. It shows great potential and great spirit.”
Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta both had to go off injured in the first half and, while they will need to be assessed, Wenger is already ruling them out of the UEFA Champions League clash with Galatasaray on Wednesday.
Asked if they could be involved, he said: “No chance. We will see but if they have a muscular problem I can’t see how they will be ready for the next game.”
