WENGER POSITIVE AFTER BAGGIES DRAW
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admitted his team's 2-2 draw at West Brom was two points dropped in the Barclays Premier League title race - but insisted it was an important one gained for the players psychologically.
The Gunners went into the clash looking to keep the pressure on league leaders Manchester United, who they trailed by three points with a game in hand.
They were also in need of a lift following their Carling Cup final defeat and elimination from the Champions League and FA Cup over the last few weeks, but found themselves two goals down just before the hour mark as Peter Odemwingie capitalised on a mix-up between Manuel Almunia and Sebastien Squillaci to add to Steven Reid's early header.
Arsenal managed to stage a comeback with goals in the 70th minute from Andrey Arshavin and 78th from Robin van Persie, but they were unable to notch a third before the final whistle.
With United beating Bolton 1-0, Wenger's side are now five points off the top, but the Frenchman had spoken ahead of the Hawthorns contest about the need for "mental toughness" in the Gunners camp and in that respect, he felt it was vital the game was not lost.
"The pitch was very difficult for us and it was difficult to pass at top speed, so it was almost more down to character and resilience - and we have shown plenty," Wenger said.
"Mathematically we lost two points, but psychologically I think we won a point, because when you are 2-0 down with 20 minutes to go, you cannot be too unhappy with this comeback."He added: "I said that no matter happened today, it would not be over, but for the team it was important not to lose.
"With what has happened to us recently, you wonder how we would have recovered if we had lost the game today."
Wenger took issue with the playing surface but acknowledged that poor defending on Arsenal's part had been key for both of West Brom's goals.
He said: "The pitch was not at fault when we conceded the goals - we were at fault on the first and the second, we cannot blame the pitch for that."
Reid rose unchallenged in the box to nod home Chris Brunt's corner in the third minute, with Aaron Ramsey appearing to be the main culprit in failing to mark the former Blackburn player.
Almunia then came charging off his line in the 58th minute when Youssouf Mulumbu launched a long ball forward and completely misjudged it, the Spaniard getting in a tangle with Squillaci as Odemwingie gleefully slotted into the net.
The watching Jens Lehmann, back on the Arsenal bench after rejoining the club on a rolling monthly contract earlier in the week, looked less than impressed.
Wenger made his disappointment at the mistakes plain, but refused to refer to individual names and preferred to focus on the way the team rallied afterwards.
"I do not want to go too much into individual criticism," Wenger said.
"The players involved in that second goal know what it was about and what was good was the reaction the whole team has shown and their fighting spirit.
"It will be interesting through to the end because we are ready to focus and ready for a fight."
Albion boss Roy Hodgson also seemed to be in two minds about the result. "We are upset we couldn't hang on because it was a sterling effort by the players, but we were playing against a very good team," Hodgson said.
"With the questions they ask of you in terms of defensive organisation, you are always going to be hard pressed not to concede a goal.
"It is disappointing to be 2-0 up and not get a victory, but on the other hand, it would be wrong of me to suggest that Arsenal got anything from this game they didn't deserve."
Hodgson - who described the pitch as "not the best but better than some" - was particularly pleased to see his team produce the performance they did given that Brunt had been suffering with a fever in the build-up, James Morrison received stitches for a head wound in the first half and Paul Scharner had to come off at the interval with concussion.
West Brom are a point above the relegation zone in 16th place and Hodgson said: "It is always a point gained if you are in a relegation battle and playing one of the serious contenders for the title."
http://www.sportinglife.com/football/premiership/arsenal/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/11/03/19/SOCCER_West_Brom_Quotes.html&TEAMHD=arsenal&DIV=prem&TEAM=ARSENAL&RH=Arsenal&PREV_SEASON=&BID=315
