Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, said his side just proved doubters wrong after their FA Cup semi final win over Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
Arsenal came from a goal down to beat Manchester City on Sunday.
Alexis Sanchez scored in extra-time to secure a 2-1 win at Wembley and sent the Gunners into the final for the third time in four years.
The Gunner now set up a final clash against Chelsea who defeated Tottenham 4-2 on Saturday in the first semifinal match.
The win could ease some of the pressure on the manager, who said it proved his side could still compete with the top teams despite a string of recent Premier League losses.
Wenger told reporters after the game, “I felt it was a big mental test for us today because many people questioned that, can we turn up on an occasion like that?”
“That’s why I’m very proud of the players. As a manager, your biggest joy is when you feel you have a real team performance. That was the case today, and that’s why I’m happy today.
“Honestly, when you watch the stands today and you see how big this club is, I just feel happy when our fans go home tonight and are happy,” he added.
“And when I don’t win the games I feel sad because I don’t feel that I give what people want.
“We have gone through a very difficult period, and we have faced some adversity that made the situation even more difficult from the inside as well.
“But we have shown a united response, not a divided response. But of course, mentally we were in a fragile position.
“Today I felt he could intervene for Oxlade-Chamberlain on [Leroy] Sane’s ball through. Sane goes a lot in behind, and I felt he had the pace to cover and to tackle, and he did that very well.
“In the second half I think he saved three, four balls. So I just thought he is well-suited for this position.
“No matter what you do, even if you get it right at some stage, people say: ‘Why didn’t you do it earlier?’
“The opposite is right as well. If you get your starting lineup wrong and you change it half-time, people say: ‘You see, he’s a tactical magician because he changed the team at half-time.’ But they forget that he got it wrong at the start.
“I think what I did was just to give a bit more security to a team who conceded three goals in the last three away games.”
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