Wenger: 'We didn't shoot ourselves in the foot this time'

Last updated : 06 December 2008 By Chris Parry

"It was a difficult decision but he had completely lost his confidence. He couldn't keep the ball any more and had become a danger. I just didn't want the 90 minutes' work to go to waste. The fans contributed. He's a sensitive boy who wants to do well and he cares about the club.

"It was very sad but the important thing was that we won the game. I can understand him going straight down the tunnel because the crowd were very hard on him."

"I think he will come back and show how good a player he is. The same fans will applaud him when he does well."

"We didn't shoot ourselves in the foot this time. It was a nervy game because we didn't finish things off. We played with the handbrake on because of our recent history but there have been times when we have played well and didn't win - today we didn't play well but we won."