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Wenger satisified with 'little step forward'

Arsène Wenger lauded the character of his Arsenal FC side while his Olympique de Marseille counterpart Didier Deschamps described the result as "cruel" after Aaron Ramsey's late winner.

Wenger satisified with 'little step forward'
Wenger satisified with 'little step forward' ©UEFA.com

Didier Deschamps, Marseille coach
To lose it like that in the 92nd minute hurts. It is cruel. We are now in a tough position and a draw tonight would have been a decent result. Arsenal can feel happy to have taken the points. We made a good start in the Champions League and we stay second thanks to Olympiacos' win tonight. But even one point would have been very good for us, and I told the players at the break not to take needless risks.

Arsène Wenger, Arsenal manager
We left it very late but we had a difficult start. We lost some balls in the first half due to the fact Marseille pressed us well. They didn't find their fluency but in the second half we took over and I don't think Marseille were dangerous at all [after half-time]. They defended very well but in the last 15 minutes we created some chances and were rewarded because we kept going and got an important victory.

We've made a little step forward but we have to be humble. We are a team who must continue to grow and we have to show that. The next game at home against Marseille is very important. This will help us but in last five or six games we only have one defeat. We are slowly getting there; tonight will help that.

[The goal] was a great finish, you see Aaron Ramsey in front of goal and you know you have a good chance to score. He is a goalscorer. I do not want to overplay him. He had been injured for a year; I try to be a bit more cautious when I can.

We lost two points in Dortmund in the last seconds of the game. We lost a Champions League final in the last part of the game with ten men. We are not always lucky but when you face good opposition you need to take your chances. We needed to be patient and intelligent. You could see our midfield had experience; we didn't make stupid mistakes and we didn't play stupid passes. It's an important win but you take any win away from home in the Champions League.

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