Liege:
Arsene Wenger expects Arsenal's dramatic Champions League fightback at Standard Liege to provide his side with a much-needed injection of confidence.
The Gunners were facing the unpalatable prospect of a third successive defeat when goals from Eliaquim Mangala and Milan Jovanovic handed Liege a shock two-goal lead within the first five minutes at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne on Wednesday.
After back to back defeats to Manchester United and then Manchester City, another loss, especially against such unheralded opposition, would have raised serious questions about Arsenal's ability to end their four-year trophy drought.
But Nicklas Bendtner gave Arsenal a glimmer of hope when he struck just before half-time. Then Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen marked his return to his homeland with a close-range equaliser and Eduardo stabbed in the winner with nine minutes left to complete a remarkable 3-2 win.
Instead of flying back to London under a dark cloud, Wenger's team should be feeling on top of the world after a great escape that proved they have the stomach for a fight.
"When you are at a big club, you cannot afford to have too many defeats on the trot," Wenger said. "After being 2-0 down, this will strengthen belief within the group."
Wenger insisted his side's poor start could have happened to any team against such fired-up opposition. He preferred to highlight his players' refusal to accept defeat.
"We were caught cold by a team who were really ready and started out of the blocks at full power," Wenger said. "It can happen to anybody and you have to be strong. Standard played like it was a cup final with full commitment.
"When you go 2-0 down after five minutes, you know you have a big task in front of you.
"To win away from home in the Champions League and score three goals will be tough.
"You have to attack with full power, without restriction, and know that the next goal will kill you.
"We fought back with a goal and then in the second half, the game dropped a bit in physical intensity.
"When they got tired, we got set-pieces and took advantage of it."
Inevitably it was Eduardo who made the decisive intervention just 24 hours after hearing that UEFA had overturned his two-match ban for allegedly deceiving the referee to win a penalty against Celtic.
Wenger admitted he had a feeling Eduardo would have his say in the outcome after the Brazil-born Croatian's mistake led to Liege's first goal.
"It is always inevitable with Eduardo," Wenger added. "He was caught out on the first goal but he is a guy who can always turn up on crosses because he has that anticipation."
In the second minute Eduardo failed to clear a corner and Mangala fired in a low strike past Italian goalkeeper Vito Mannone.
Jovanovic netted from the penalty spot after he was adjudged to have been brought down by William Gallas three minutes later.
But Bendtner got one back on the stroke of half-time, then Vermaelen bundled in a second-half equaliser despite Liege's complaints that Alexandre Song handled Cesc Fabregas's free-kick.
That set the stage for Eduardo's 81st minute goal, leaving Standard Liege coach Laszlo Boloni to bemoan his side's failure to keep pressing Arsenal when they were ahead.
"We started very well, but were not strong enough mentally to continue the same way in the second half," said Boloni, who won the European Cup as a player with Steaua Bucharest.
"We sat back in midfield, so all the pressure was too much for us."
"But Arsenal had good help from the referee at their second goal - two players were offside and there was also a handball.
"This was the moment when they got more motivation and we lost ours, but the biggest problem was we have to play better."
The Gunners were facing the unpalatable prospect of a third successive defeat when goals from Eliaquim Mangala and Milan Jovanovic handed Liege a shock two-goal lead within the first five minutes at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne on Wednesday.
After back to back defeats to Manchester United and then Manchester City, another loss, especially against such unheralded opposition, would have raised serious questions about Arsenal's ability to end their four-year trophy drought.
But Nicklas Bendtner gave Arsenal a glimmer of hope when he struck just before half-time. Then Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen marked his return to his homeland with a close-range equaliser and Eduardo stabbed in the winner with nine minutes left to complete a remarkable 3-2 win.
Instead of flying back to London under a dark cloud, Wenger's team should be feeling on top of the world after a great escape that proved they have the stomach for a fight.
"When you are at a big club, you cannot afford to have too many defeats on the trot," Wenger said. "After being 2-0 down, this will strengthen belief within the group."
Wenger insisted his side's poor start could have happened to any team against such fired-up opposition. He preferred to highlight his players' refusal to accept defeat.
"We were caught cold by a team who were really ready and started out of the blocks at full power," Wenger said. "It can happen to anybody and you have to be strong. Standard played like it was a cup final with full commitment.
"When you go 2-0 down after five minutes, you know you have a big task in front of you.
"To win away from home in the Champions League and score three goals will be tough.
"You have to attack with full power, without restriction, and know that the next goal will kill you.
"We fought back with a goal and then in the second half, the game dropped a bit in physical intensity.
"When they got tired, we got set-pieces and took advantage of it."
Inevitably it was Eduardo who made the decisive intervention just 24 hours after hearing that UEFA had overturned his two-match ban for allegedly deceiving the referee to win a penalty against Celtic.
Wenger admitted he had a feeling Eduardo would have his say in the outcome after the Brazil-born Croatian's mistake led to Liege's first goal.
"It is always inevitable with Eduardo," Wenger added. "He was caught out on the first goal but he is a guy who can always turn up on crosses because he has that anticipation."
In the second minute Eduardo failed to clear a corner and Mangala fired in a low strike past Italian goalkeeper Vito Mannone.
Jovanovic netted from the penalty spot after he was adjudged to have been brought down by William Gallas three minutes later.
But Bendtner got one back on the stroke of half-time, then Vermaelen bundled in a second-half equaliser despite Liege's complaints that Alexandre Song handled Cesc Fabregas's free-kick.
That set the stage for Eduardo's 81st minute goal, leaving Standard Liege coach Laszlo Boloni to bemoan his side's failure to keep pressing Arsenal when they were ahead.
"We started very well, but were not strong enough mentally to continue the same way in the second half," said Boloni, who won the European Cup as a player with Steaua Bucharest.
"We sat back in midfield, so all the pressure was too much for us."
"But Arsenal had good help from the referee at their second goal - two players were offside and there was also a handball.
"This was the moment when they got more motivation and we lost ours, but the biggest problem was we have to play better."
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