Arsene Wenger admitted Arsenal were lucky to come away with a narrow 1-0 victory over Burnley.
Arsene Wenger admitted Arsenal were lucky to come away with a narrow 1-0 victory over Burnley.
Burnley: Arsene Wenger admitted Arsenal were lucky to come away with a narrow 1-0 victory over Burnley after a disputed injury-time winner took them within two points of the Premier League summit.
Burnley were left frustrated after defender Laurent Koscielny scored from a corner deep into stoppage time, as the ball rebounded off his hand and over the line.
Despite the controversial finish, a fifth consecutive league win moves Arsenal up to third, two points behind leaders Manchester City who surrendered their 100 percent start in a 2-0 defeat to second-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
-"I was fuming because we played the short corner at the end of the two added minutes,-" said Wenger.
-"I was asking why didn't we take the direct corner I didn't see it go in, but I've been told that we were fortunate to get the goal.-"
Burnley manager Sean Dyche cut a frustrated figure after the defeat, which left his newly promoted side 14th in the table.
-"It's a frustrating way to lose because the goal is handball and it's six seconds over the allotted two minutes of injury-time. It might not sound a lot, but it was to us,-" said Dyche.
-"Despite the defeat, there are a lot of positives for us to take. We kept Arsenal to very few real chances, so I was pleased defensively.-"
Arsenal went a record ninth game unbeaten in all competitions and Wenger described it as a -"big win-" after City's defeat to Spurs.
-"It's a big win because City lost,-" said Wenger, adding: -"We were five points behind them going into this game, and when you get a chance to move closer you can't miss it, so we have to be pleased with the way we kept going to finally get the win.-"
The veteran French boss made just one change from the side that beat Basel in the Champions League mid-week, and conceded his players looked jaded at times as they struggled to overcome a Burnley team which is adapting well after to life back in the top flight.
-"We came through what was a big test against a very motivated side,-" he said.
-"Our legs were not as dynamic as recent games and we made some technical mistakes.
-"Burnley made it very difficult for us, they played with intelligence so I have to pay credit to my team for the way they kept going. You only have a chance to win a game like this if you do that.
-"In the end, I thought that it was the kind of game where you can win by a single goal, or you can lose by a single goal.”
