Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed how proud he is of his youngsters after they showed grit and determination to beat West Bromwich Albion on penalties last night.
Wenger fielded a very youthful-looking side last night in the Capital One Cup and despite the lack of experience, they held their nerves and saw off the Premier League side on penalties.
German Thomas Eisfeld gave Wenger’s side the lead in the second-half, but his cool-finish was cancelled out by Saido Berahino just ten-minutes later.
The game then went into extra-time and despite having a bag full of chances, the hosts could not get the crucial goal and the game went to spot-kicks.
Serge Gnabry of Arsenal was first to miss and The Baggies at one points had a 3-1 lead, but it all changed late on.
Misses from Craig Dawson and Morgan Amalfitano swung the tie Arsenal’s favour with full-back Nacho Monreal cooly slotted home the winner.
After the game, Wenger admitted how proud he was of the team’s character.
“I am proud. We played with many young players and they showed they are not only good footballers but that they can fight as well.
“I decided to go for young players with the penalties and they coped well with the pressure.
“Of course, penalties are a bit of a lottery, but overall I think the most important thing is that we played well in the game and that the young players came out and showed that they can play the way we want to.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt
