Arsene Wenger has praised his players for their spirited display which saw them beat Chelsea 2-1 in the second leg semi-final of the Carabao Cup at the Emirates on Wednesday night.
The Arsenal boss,Wenger also says that The Gunners are dealing with the challenge of losing a great player in Alexis Sanchez who has joined Manchester United
Despite conceding early following Eden Hazard opener, an own goal by Antonio Ruediger and a Granit Xhaka strike, secured Arsenal’s place in the final where they will face Manchester City.
Speaking in his post-match analysis of the game, Wenger admitted they struggled in the early part of the game but still managed to pull through.
“In the first half we gave Chelsea too much respect and distance. We were a bit scared to go for it and we suffered from that.
“We were not playing in the right position but we amended that in the second half and took control of the game. We knew we could perform better in the second half and that’s what we did. In the first half we watched them play a bit but we were tighter after the break.
“We lost a great player in Alexis Sanchez but when a team doesn’t know what’s going on in the dressing room there is less clarity and focus on performances. We know we have to deal with it now.”
Wenger went on to express delight that Arsenal will be heading back to Wembley Stadium.
He said:”We have some time to prepare for the final but we are happy to take our fans to Wembley. We’ve been there a few times now and we’re happy to be going again.”