Post by Taxigirl on Oct 27, 2003 9:43:36 GMT
GOOD FORTUNE.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger believes Sunday's opponents Charlton Athletic were fortunate to earn a draw at The Valley.
The French tactician saw his side return to the top of the Premiership table following the 1-1 result with The Addicks, in what was an entertaining London derby clash.
A sublime free kick strike from man-of-the match Thierry Henry cancelled out Paolo Di Canio's cheeky penalty in the first half, as both sides had to settle for a share on the spoils.
Wenger believes Steve Dunn's decision to award a penalty after Lauren had allegedly brought down Matt Holland in the box was a spot of good fortune for the home side.
"If I was Charlton, I would feel very happy and very lucky.... but I cannot change it now," Wenger told Sky Sports.
"It was a good game - Charlton played very tight and they are a difficult team to beat.
"The penalty woke us up. It was a great goal just before half-time.
"If we had kept it up like we did in the final 20 minutes of the first half, we would have won but we couldn't."
Meanwhile, Henry went on to add that the Gunners' title hopes are still in good shape, despite his side not playing at their very best on Sunday.
Henry had an excellent match for Arsenal and was unlucky not to score a first half-trick, having smacked one effort off the post before eventually equalising with his set-piece strike.
"After (the penalty), we worked really well and created some chances," Henry said.
"They played better than us and we were fighting. At the end of the day, the draw was a fair result.
"The penalty was a bit harsh and we needed something to put us back in the game.
"It (the free kick) was the only place I could have put it because there was a man on the other side. It was where I wanted to put it.
"It's a derby and it was a difficult game for us. We were 1-0 down and showed some great spirit to come back.
"I hope there is more to come. The positive side is that even when we are not playing at our best, we are getting points and we are looking good in the table."
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger believes Sunday's opponents Charlton Athletic were fortunate to earn a draw at The Valley.
The French tactician saw his side return to the top of the Premiership table following the 1-1 result with The Addicks, in what was an entertaining London derby clash.
A sublime free kick strike from man-of-the match Thierry Henry cancelled out Paolo Di Canio's cheeky penalty in the first half, as both sides had to settle for a share on the spoils.
Wenger believes Steve Dunn's decision to award a penalty after Lauren had allegedly brought down Matt Holland in the box was a spot of good fortune for the home side.
"If I was Charlton, I would feel very happy and very lucky.... but I cannot change it now," Wenger told Sky Sports.
"It was a good game - Charlton played very tight and they are a difficult team to beat.
"The penalty woke us up. It was a great goal just before half-time.
"If we had kept it up like we did in the final 20 minutes of the first half, we would have won but we couldn't."
Meanwhile, Henry went on to add that the Gunners' title hopes are still in good shape, despite his side not playing at their very best on Sunday.
Henry had an excellent match for Arsenal and was unlucky not to score a first half-trick, having smacked one effort off the post before eventually equalising with his set-piece strike.
"After (the penalty), we worked really well and created some chances," Henry said.
"They played better than us and we were fighting. At the end of the day, the draw was a fair result.
"The penalty was a bit harsh and we needed something to put us back in the game.
"It (the free kick) was the only place I could have put it because there was a man on the other side. It was where I wanted to put it.
"It's a derby and it was a difficult game for us. We were 1-0 down and showed some great spirit to come back.
"I hope there is more to come. The positive side is that even when we are not playing at our best, we are getting points and we are looking good in the table."
