Arsene Wenger has once again praised the impact of Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez after the in-form forward helped the Gunners progress to the last-16 of the Champions League.
Sanchez has won rave reviews since his £30million summer arrival from Barcelona, and he netted his 13th goal of the season as the north London outfit beat Group D leaders Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium to book their place in the next round.
French youngster Yaya Sanogo opened the scoring with his first Arsenal goal, but it was his strike partner who provided the cutting edge for the Gunners.
And, asked what the Chilean brought to the team, Wenger said: "Unbelievable fighting spirit and his class as well.
“He's a mixture of talent and desire."
It was an assured performance from Arsenal, who refused to let their lead slip following the disappointment of the weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United, something which pleased Wenger.
“We had the focus to defend well together,” the French boss added.
"We had a similar game to Saturday but we focused really well not to give any chances away."
The one sour note was the loss of both Sanogo and Mikel Arteta to injuries, with the latter of particular concern as Wenger battles a growing casualty list.
"It doesn't look good, it's a calf," he confirmed.
"It's difficult to take on the chin at moment, you go in to many games and need everyone available."
Meanwhile, centre-back Per Mertesacker hailed the team’s defensive solidity after seeing off the German giants.
The World Cup winner said: "It was a solid performance, especially defensively. We didn't give them too much, especially in the second half, we played absolutely solid at the back."
“We've had a few disappointing results so today was a mental test, but we are strong enough and now we can continue.
"After Anderlecht [where the Gunners squandered a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3] and after Manchester United we dropped mentally a bit but we learnt from those disappointments and we are delighted with the performance today.”
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