Wenger pleased with first half quality, spirit and pace

Arsene Wenger praised his side’s patience as Arsenal secured safe passage to a first League Cup semi-final in seven years with a 1-0 win over West Ham United at the Emirates. 

Victory, secured courtesy of Danny Welbeck’s first half shinner, was far from the prettiest the Emirates has witnessed, however, a third consecutive clean sheet, this time achieved with a new look back four, is not to be sniffed at.

Reflecting on the performance of a team that ended with teenagers Reiss Nelson, Ben Sheaf and Josh Da Silva on the pitch, Wenger noted: “I felt we played with quality and spirit and pace in the first half.

“Overall for 90 minutes we looked solid defensively and weren’t tested at the back too much. Tested, but not in danger.

“Second half we lost a bit of pace and were less creative and then couldn’t the game off. So it was down to not making a mistake.

He added: “I think it was intense, but they defended very well and didn’t want to give us any space.

“In the first half we were very patient. We kept the ball well on the ground and created some dangerous situations. But the second half was much more difficult because we lost the pace in our game.”