Monday, 29th April, 2013
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has given his right-back Bacary Sagna a vote of confidence after the defender’s "unfortunate" challenge on Robin van Persie in their match against new champions Manchester United yesterday, which resulted in a penalty and made for a 1-1 draw.
The 20-time champions were dubbed "punch drunk" for their sluggish display yesterday at the Emirates Stadium. A non-committal first-half perfomance from Manchester United saw Arsenal steamroll over them, with lightning-fast Theo Walcott scoring before the two-minute mark in the game.
Arsenal’s possession on the ball was staggering – the likes of Santi Cazorla, Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey cruised through the flimsy, non-committal Red Devils midfield but the Gunners simply could not score a second goal.
Then came Sagna, who just before half-time hit a back-pass-gone-wrong, with Van Persie pouncing on it with gusto. In panic, Sagna made a dubious challenge on the Dutchman inside the box – resulting in a penalty, which Van Persie dealt with, with authority.
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"He is a boy who gives absolutely everything in every game", Wenger told Arsenal’s official site.
"I think he made a bad pass, that can happen, and maybe after he panicked a little bit and maybe wanted to repair too quickly what he did, but he had time to tackle.
"He has saved us so many times that unfortunately it happened today", the French tactician added.
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