The German defender talked up the Gunners' determination after their 10 men recovered from conceding late on to snatch an important win over Burnley
A never-say-die attitude that could help Arsenal finally sustain a Premier League title challenge was heralded by Shkodran Mustafi after the dramatic 2-1 win over Burnley on Sunday.
The Gunners led through Mustafi's 59th-minute header - his first goal for Arsenal - at Emirates Stadium, where Granit Xhaka was sent off six minutes later.
Wenger: I should have shut up
A potentially serious injury suffered by Dean Marney saw seven minutes added on by referee Jon Moss, who awarded a penalty against Francis Coquelin to allow Andre Gray to equalise for the visitors in the 93rd minute.
A dramatic twist then saw Ben Mee give up a spot-kick at the other end, coolly dispatched down the centre of the goal by Alexis Sanchez in the dying moments.
It could prove a crucial victory for Arsenal, who climbed to second in the table, as a crunch meeting with league leaders Chelsea approaches on February 4.
"We played in their half for most of the game and then suddenly you are one man down," Mustafi told Sky Sports.
"It becomes difficult but we did well.
"Even after the [equaliser] and in the last games we've played we never give up and we always come back. I think that's credit to the team."
Xhaka hasn't learnt from mistakes
Mustafi remains a talisman for the Gunners, who are yet to lose a match with the Germany international - an August arrival from Valencia - in the team.
"I hope there are a few more [unbeaten matches] coming," he said.
"I'm happy. In the end it is important to go game after game and try to win.
"That's what we've been doing, that is why we are always dangerous until the end - because we believe in ourselves."
Aaron Ramsey, meanwhile, hailed the contribution of Sanchez, who scored a Premier League penalty for the first time with his third attempt.
Angry Wenger pushes fourth official
After watching the Chile international poke an impudent finish straight down the middle, Ramsey told Sky Sports: "That just sums up the quality and confidence that he has, to do that in the last minute. Hopefully he can keep doing things like that until the end of the season.
"It was a lot of minutes added on but we dug in. It's not easy when you go down to 10 men. We kept fighting and we got what I thought we deserved in the end.
"We're confident in the way we play. We know that we can create goals, even with 10 men."
Posts
Comments