Arsenal recorded their first win in six matches in all competitions as goals from Abou Diaby, Emmanuel Eboué and the man of the match, Robin van Persie, kept them seven points behind the league leaders, with a game in hand and with United still to visit the Emirates Stadium on 1 May. Wenger had to give a first Arsenal appearance in three years to the 41-year-old Jens Lehmann, after Manuel Almunia injured a knee in the warm-up, and he admitted the German goalkeeper was involved in the game's turning point when he escaped punishment for pulling down DJ Campbell inside the area before Gary Taylor-Fletcher scored for Blackpool.
After a dispiriting run of form and results, which cost Arsenal in the Champions League, the FA Cup, the Carling Cup final and had left them without a league win since February, Wenger believes his side have rediscovered their mental fortitude at an opportune moment in the title race.
"Going out of the Champions League hurt and it was a massive disappointment and you go through a period of grief, and of denial and then you have to start showing you have the mental strength to respond and the team has done that remarkably well," said the Arsenal manager. "It was a good performance because we had a good response to a flat performance [against Blackburn Rovers] last weekend. People forget we are on a long unbeaten run now even if we hadn't won recently. So it was important to get the win again and we have to go from game to game now."
With seven games of the season remaining, and no Champions League or FA Cup commitments ahead, Wenger hoped his side's performance against Blackpool – bar a "nervy" second-half period – would be maintained over the final weeks to push United for the title.
"We can maintain it because now we have a week's rest then we play Liverpool on Sunday and Tottenham on Wednesday after, and we play 100% to win the games. Today only three points could help us keep a chance. We have promised to give everything for the rest of the season and seven games is a long time, many games."
Van Persie claimed Arsenal had "turned the corner" with the victory and retained a chance of winning a first league title in seven years. "We needed this," he said. "We have seven games to play and it's up to us now. Our aim is to win all seven because we have it in ourselves, we just have to prove it now. We are a great team and it's up to us."
Wenger paid tribute to Lehmann's assured performance but admitted to concern when the veteran felled Campbell in the area, only for the referee Lee Mason to play the advantage as Taylor-Fletcher scored. "It was the important split-second of the game and I felt that Jens played the ball so even if he had given a penalty it would have been a yellow card not more because he did try to intercept the ball," he said. "In the box, if the keeper tries to play the ball they don't give red cards."
Blackpool are one point above the relegation zone after a run of one win in 11 games but Ian Holloway insists his side can avoid a return to the Championship.
The Blackpool manager, who was incensed by Mason's refusal to award a penalty when the Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny fouled Taylor-Fletcher moments after his goal, said: "There is a divide in this league but it's greater than David and Goliath. I feel like a gladiator going into the arena armed with a tooth-pick, but we are having a right go and I need the lads to believe they can do it."
Source: Andy Hunter, The Guardian on 10 Apr 11
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