LONDON. — Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admitted fifth-tier Sutton United were better than he expected in the Gunners’ 2-0 FA Cup win on Monday night and said the artificial pitch at Gander Green Lane made things difficult for his players.Wenger also conceded that he didn’t enjoy Arsenal’s FA Cup fifth round win over Sutton. Arsenal avoided any stumbles and advanced to the quarter-finals after Lucas Perez and Theo Walcott scored, but the non-league side could exit with their heads held high after holding their own against the heavily favoured English Premier League soccer giants.

“We did the job,” Wenger told the BBC, before acknowledging that he had been impressed by the hosts’ level of football.

“Honestly, yes. Because it’s basically division five. And when I arrived here maybe 20 years ago, in division five they were not as fit as they are today. They didn’t drop physically at all. You could expect that they would drop much more physically.

“They remained absolutely focused, organised, they had a huge desire in their game. I would say if we were not mentally prepared we would not have gone through today.”

Perez put the Gunners ahead when his attempted cross found its way inside the far post in the 26th minute and Walcott doubled the lead in the 55th with his 100th Arsenal goal. But Sutton kept the scoreline more than respectable and even came close to pulling one back as former Arsenal academy member Roarie Deacon rattled the crossbar with a fierce effort from distance.

Arsenal, who are still recovering from last week’s 5-1 loss at Bayern Munich in the Champions League, often looked sloppy in possession with a number of simple passes going astray. And Wenger said they struggled to adjust to Sutton’s artificial 3G pitch.

Arsenal will now face another non-league side, Lincoln, in the quarter-finals as a friendly draw has given them a great chance to reach a semi-final at Wembley, which could help salvage their season.

Wenger admitted it was hard to enjoy the experience of playing at Sutton’s 5 000-capacity stadium because of the added importance of avoiding another loss after the debacle in Munich.

“No, I didn’t enjoy it really tonight, because we had absolutely just to do the job. And it’s tricky” he said. — ESPN.

 

You Might Also Like

Comments

Take our Survey

We value your opinion! Take a moment to complete our survey