Sunday 26 November 2017 17:31, UK
Arsene Wenger insists the penalty awarded to Arsenal in second-half stoppage time against Burnley was the right decision.
Lee Mason pointed to the spot in the second minute of added time after Aaron Ramsey appeared to be shoved to the floor by James Tarkowski - allowing Alexis Sanchez to convert the spot-kick and hand Arsenal a 1-0 win.
It was the second consecutive game in which Arsenal have beaten Burnley thanks to an injury-time Sanchez penalty - the Chilean's strike sealed a 2-1 victory at the Emirates in January - and while it was tough to take for the home side, Wenger praised Sean Dyche's side for making life difficult for the visitors.
"In the first half we didn't find our game and they stopped us from playing very well," he said.
"In the second half we upped the tempo and dominated much more, we created more chances and it was a question of finding the final ball, being patient and not making a mistake at the back.
"From the outside it looked 100 per cent a penalty, I don't know why he pushed him with two hands in his back but it looked like a penalty.
"When you see how difficult it is to score against them it's a big result, you'd think that many clubs will drop points here. They've got 22 points already and when you play against them you know why."
There was very little to separate the two clubs before kick-off with Arsenal a place ahead of Burnley in the Premier League table on goal difference alone and a win for either side would have lifted them into fourth place.
The win moved Arsenal above Spurs into fourth but Wenger stressed that it is too early to be thinking about qualifying for the Champions League.
"It's early, it changes from one week to another. We wanted to win away from home and we did it. It's only November and it is too early to talk about the Champions League," he said.
Arsenal's teamsheet was missing a high-profile name as Mesut Ozil wasn't named in the 18-man squad with his place in the side being taken by Alex Iwobi in Wenger's only change from the side that beat Spurs 2-0 last weekend.
Ozil was absent through illness and Wenger admitted that he is unsure when the playmaker will return to full fitness.
"It depends how he will recover, I don't know. He travelled home from the hotel and we don't know how bad it is," he said.
