Szczesny eager to grab Gunners chance

Wojciech Szczesny emerged from the rubble of Arsenal's damaging defeat at Manchester United to declare his intention to seize the unexpected chance handed to him by Arsene Wenger. The 20-year-old leapt to the head of Wenger's goalkeeping queue at Old Trafford yesterday when he was handed the starting spot against Manchester United because of concern over Lukasz Fabianski's hip problem. It was a remarkable show of faith in the youngster, who had previously played just three Carling Cup games for the Gunners. However, the bold move did not pay dividends as Arsenal slipped to a 1-0 defeat which leaves them two points behind United, having played a game more. Wenger, though, declared himself satisfied with Szczesny's contribution - and the player himself is determined not to slip quietly back into the shadows. "I am a reserve goalkeeper at the moment so I need to take every chance I get and this was a massive chance for me," he said. "I felt that for my debut I did well enough. Unfortunately it wasn't enough for us to get any points but this is my big chance and I need to take it."

Source: PA