Wenger praises “mentally strong” Arsenal after Man City draw

Arsene wenger

Arsenal manager admitted that his side put in a mentally strong performance as they twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with Manchester City.

Having lost six of their last nine games in all competitions, a visit from Pep Guardiola’s side represented a tough test for the under-fire Gunners.

But having fallen behind to goals from first Leroy Sane and then Sergio Aguero, they twice drew level through Theo Walcott and Shkodran Mustafi for a 2-2 draw.

Wenger said: “It was a strange combination, we started very nervously, under pressure, and conceded the early goal but the team showed they are ready for a fight.

“On the mental front it was a very strong performance but on the technical front it can be better.

“A point, you could say mathematically it is not good for them nor for us but when you come out of such a stressful period, I think mentally it can make a positive impact on our team.

“We could not afford to lose, we went for it but the best chance came to Mesut Ozil in front of the keeper, you don’t expect him to lose the ball there.”

City too could have won it late on had Nacho Monreal been penalised for handball in the penalty area.

Asked if Arsenal had got away with it, Wenger said: “Maybe – I haven’t seen it but I’ve seen that their bench complained.”