Win delights upbeat Wenger
27 Oct 2008 - 08:49:13
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes the 2-0 victory at West Ham United could prove to be a turning point in his side's season.
After both Chelsea and Manchester United had dropped points earlier in the weekend, the Gunners secured three vital points at Upton Park thanks to an own goal by Julien Faubert and a last-gasp strike from substitute Emmanuel Adebayor.
A delighted Wenger said: "One week ago everyone made Chelsea super-favourites, now it is Liverpool. Things change very quickly, which is why it makes it very interesting.
"We were very close last year and, with 83 points, many times you would have been champions.
"However, Manchester United had a fantastic second half of the season, we dropped a little bit of our quality and that is it - I still feel any weakness will be punished.
"It was a big win for us. To come out of it with a frustrating 0-0 draw would have felt like a wasted opportunity to get closer to the top. We knew before the game we could not drop points.
"West Ham can also feel frustrated because they defended well and gave everything. We had some strikers on the bench and in the end that made the difference when we got some openings as they fatigued in the last 20 minutes."