“When you lose your first home game you can not afford to drop points in the second home game because it creates a little bit an anxiety level at home and that’s not what you really want”.
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Cazorla converted an added-time penalty to give the Gunners a 2-1 victory after Laurent Koscielny had answered a Petr Cech own goal.
Wenger said: “Koscielny has a problem with his face”.
“We can win the game two or three times … it’s important to believe”, he said.
Arsenal fell behind in clumsy circumstances in the 18th minute.
The Gunners’ first real assault on the Southampton goal – and their first effort on target – led to a dramatic equaliser from Koscielny, whose spectacular overhead kick on 29 minutes brought the scores level.
While Arsenal are now sixth in the table, Southampton are in the relegation zone with just two points from four games, but Puel refused to be downbeat. In the goalmouth, the defender arched his body, connected with the ball with his right boot, and acrobatically kicked it over his head into the goal. “In the second half, I felt we dominated well again, created many unsafe situations, but couldn’t score”.
It was indeed a very uplifting day for the Arsenal fans, in the end, although they left it nerve wrenchingly late via a Cazorla penalty.
Southampton manager Claude Puel was disappointed his side conceded so late in the game after taking the lead in the first half.
“This is too much”, Puel said, avoiding criticizing Saturday’s referee.
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“I think if Shane Long had put his chance in one on one then it’s a different game, but those situations and little moments in the game are what define them”. We had good spells with a good 30 minutes and we faded a little where we took our foot off the gas, but we were always in the game and looked like we were going to score. Arsenal’s European campaign begins on Tuesday with a Champions League game at Paris Saint-Germain.
