Wenger hails plucky Gunners

North Londoners hit last-gasp winner against Burnley despite being a man down

LONDON: Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger hailed his team's spirit in a dramatic 2-1 win over Burnley at Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

The French manager believes Gunners performance where they registered a last minute victory with 10-men is a proof that they have the character to catch runaway leaders Chelsea in the Premier League title race.

The North London club were on the brink of suffering a damaging setback after conceding a stoppage-time equaliser on Sunday, Arsenal still snatched the points as Alexis Sanchez scored a penalty with virtually the last kick when Laurent Koscielny was kicked in the head by Ben Mee.

The remarkable finale lifted Arsenal into second place, eight points behind Chelsea, and Wenger is confident his players are mentally tough enough to withstand the twists and turns of the title chase.

"We got an unlikely win, when it is 10 against 11 with two minutes to go it is difficult to win," said Wenger. "I felt it was a bit frustrating to concede the penalty. Coquelin says he didn't touch him.

"It was a tense game against a team that made it uncomfortable for us. We are a team that keeps going no matter what happens and that is a good thing."

Wenger apologised for his clash with the officials but he was less forgiving about Xhaka's second red card this season.

Blaming Xhaka for failing to follow instructions to stay on his feet, Wenger warned the midfielder to curb his over-zealous challenges.

"Once we were 1-0 up, we made it more complicated by going down to 10 men," he said. "Xhaka has to control his game and not punish the team with a lack of control in his tackling.

"We don't encourage our midfielders to go down in their tackles and make this type of tackle."

Chelsea's 2-0 win over Hull just hours after Arsenal's success keeps the west Londoners firmly in control of the title fight.

But Arsenal have won four of their last five league games and with a trip to Stamford Bridge looming on February 4, Wenger challenged his players to keep the pressure on the leaders.

"It is not important to look at the table, it is important to build consistency. We need to build up a winning run," he said.

Burnley boss Sean Dyche was in less sanguine mood after his team were condemned to their ninth defeat in 10 away league games this season.

Blaming the officials' failure to rule Koscielny offside before he was fouled for the penalty, Dyche fumed: "You can't believe the decision. He had just put his flag up because he thinks he's offside, then the ref gives the penalty and now the linesman has to be brave.

"He's offside, simple as that. It's really disappointing. You need the officials to do well. I don't think at this level you can get that wrong. It leaves a bad taste in your mouth."