It was important that we had a response tonight after what happened over the weekend. We did it in a professional way, we were always focused. We didn't give them any chances and overall it was a normal victory. If you look back we have a long run of positive results but it was important that we didn't let ourselves down tonight. We gave ourselves a good chance to focus on the coming weeks because we have now Sunderland on Saturday and Barcelona on Tuesday, then the Quarter-Final of the FA Cup. This keeps us focused.
on the significance of Bendtner and Chamakh scoring...
We have lost Van Persie so for Bendtner and Chamakh to score is very important, they now have a level of confidence that we need to be successful in the big games. You need your strikers to take any chance and tonight Bendtner did that very well.
on the 1-1 draw at Orient...
It can happen. They defended better there, the pitch was not exactly of the same quality so you lose always a fraction of seconds. I found them a bit sharper in the first game, they felt really they had a chance at home. We scored early as well today and never gave them a chance.
on Chelsea's win over Man United...
For us it keeps us even better in the race. I felt that anyway no matter what happened last night, if it was a draw, it would have been good as well. But it just depends on us, it is down to our results and I have said that for a long, long time. It depends how consistent we will be with our results, that will decide the championship. No [I don't look at the fixtures], I know we play Man United at home and we will see where we stand when we play against them. What is important now is for us to be strong at home, I have said that since December. We dropped points at home at the start of the season and since November we have been consistent at home. That will be vital for us.
on why the League so important...
Because you win the League after 38 games and the Carling Cup after five or six games.
on whether it is a two-horse race...
It is a tight, exciting run-in now. I don't rule Chelsea out, I don't rule Man City out, because everybody can drop points everywhere. It looks like recently we have been on a really good run - if you look back at our last ten games - and if we maintain our consistency we have a very good chance.
on scoring 103 goals in 45 games…
We are very proud of that because that means people don’t get too bored when they come here and watch games, they get enjoyment.
on the “traditional rivalry” with Manchester United…
Not just because it’s Manchester United, because that means we are in the race. I enjoy that. It’s difficult to say how we approach this game, how they approach this game. For us, it will be after Barcelona and for them it will be before the Champions League. Of course, the result at Barcelona will have an influence on that as well.
on the importance of Marouane Chamakh…
We need Chamakh with the games we have in front of us. He had a great start to the season until the end of November and after he had a little bit of burn-out. Now he looks, even in training, to be coming back. For a while he looked very tired but now it is good for him he has scored.
on Tomas Rosicky’s injury…
He is good, he had an elbow on his head. He was a bit dizzy so we took him off.
on Conor Henderson’s debut…
If you look at all the English players that come out now, it’s amazing. He has done well, and shown that he is technically at the level that we request here. He has a nice, smooth left foot and good build. He would have been involved a long time ago but he was injured.
on Abou Diaby’s form…
He has played four or five games in the Premier League since the start of the season, that’s why I took him off after 60 minutes. For me he looked sharp on the ball, had good acceleration and power. Still, on his positional play sometimes in midfield he was a little bit not completely sharp.
on Bendtner’s hat-trick…
It puts him in contention to play against Sunderland. That for us, is a vital game. We have to make our decisions game by game, if we beat Sunderland we are in a great position so all our focus is on that game.
on his performance at the Nou Camp last year…
He played well at Barcelona last year. What is important now is that if he plays, he plays well against Sunderland.
on the prospect of playing a strong side at Old Trafford...
Let's first see how the next two games go and see who is available. We will play the team that has the best possible chance to qualify, that is for sure.
on Leyton Orient...
I give them credit for always trying to play, I said that to their manager. They tried to play football and they did that in a very positive way. They are on a long unbeaten run in League One as well, so overall they have done very well.
Source: Arsenal.com on 2 Mar 11
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