Wenger relieved RVP avoided red

Arsene Wenger was glad that Robin van Persie’s verbal spat with Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul did not result in a red card for the Arsenal striker.

Van Persie scored the equaliser as Arsenal came from behind to beat the Magpies 2-1 and came close to adding a second only to be denied by a series of smart saves from Krul.

But the colleagues from the Netherlands national team traded words early in the game, setting the tone for a tempestuous personal battle which reached its height with a sustained slanging match after Thomas Vermaelen’s injury-time winner.

Both players were subsequently booked for their part in the clash, which spilled into the tunnel afterwards.

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Wenger said he was not sure why the pair were arguing: “I don’t know, is it history from Holland? Is it just today’s story? I don’t know, they both looked a bit nervous. I have not spoken to Robin yet.”

“I will find out but I am happy it stayed yellow and did not become red. He is absolutely committed and he gave everything again tonight.”

“He got us a quick equaliser. But the whole team played very well and (Theo) Walcott also had an exceptional performance tonight.”

Wenger had further praise for Walcott’s display, after the young winger’s cross led to the stoppage-time goal.

“I think that he is so long in the spotlight that people forget that he is 22 years old and getting now to an age where you perform,” he said.

“It is as simple as that. He develops well because he is intelligent. Tactically, technically he has a complete game.”

The Arsenal manager was also thrilled with the collective spirit demonstrated by his team after they set a Premier League record in coming from behind to win for a fourth consecutive match.

“That is the best response to something that has been questioned sometimes this season,” he said.

“I believe that shows we have quality, we have spirit, which I have never questioned. It was a relentless effort again tonight from the first to the last minute. The tempo was absolutely top level tonight. We kept going until the last second and just managed to win the game.”

“Certainly the fact we have done it before helped us. Even when we were 1-0 down we just kept going and we feel now at the moment in the team we just have that complete and total commitment to do as well as we can and give absolutely everything.”

“That gets the crowd behind the team and you saw a very entertaining game tonight against a very good Newcastle side.”

“The atmosphere is great within the squad, and tonight it was exceptional in the dressing room because the pleasure is even more intense when you win in the final minute of the game where you have given everything. And the disappointment is intense when you have lost in the last minute of a game.”

Arsenal have climbed to within a point of third-placed rivals Tottenham following their fourth consecutive league triumph.

And the Frenchman claimed the commitment shown in a recent run of late wins is the reason for their success.

“We played recently against Tottenham, Liverpool, Newcastle and Sunderland who are all very difficult to beat and we won all of these games,” he said.

“We know every time it was very tight and we won in the last minute in three of them. There is definitely complete commitment in every single game. Where we finish is down to how we keep going and if we put that same amount of effort into every single game.”

“I don’t compare us to any other team, I just think we have rebuilt confidence and belief and that will be vital in the race until the end.”

“It can change very quickly because as soon as you lose a little bit of urgency you are in trouble in this league. So let’s focus on keeping that and after we will see when we finish.”

“It’s very important that we keep our feet on the ground, keep our complete focus and give absolutely everything until the end.”

“We have done that recently because we produced a great game tonight, we produced a great game against Milan and we produced a great game against Tottenham. That has to be our real target.”