Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has praised his side for remaining patient during their 1-0 victory over West Brom on Boxing Day.
The Gunners looked set to drop yet more points on Monday afternoon as they were frustrated by a resilient Baggies side who had contained Wenger's men for much of the match.
Arsenal end their run of two consecutive defeats by edging past West Brom 1-0 thanks to Olivier Giroud's late goal. #UCL pic.twitter.com/BJ8oD54pq0
However, Olivier Giroud's 86th minute header snatched the hosts all three points and meant they were able to put consecutive leaguedefeats behind them, as they look to keep pace with leaders Chelsea.
Speaking after the game, the Arsenal manager was quick to praise his players for their compsoure and hailed his team's match-winner.
Wenger toldSky Sports:"We had to be patient against a very well organised West Brom side - nobody beats them easily in this league.
"They are tenacious and disciplined. We needed to keep composure and our patience. We couldn't afford to make a defensive mistake as they are dangerous on the counter attack.
"We had a very high level of possession and domination but we needed something special from Olivier."
When asked whether he thought anything other than victory over West Brom would have dealt a major blow to the Gunners' title chances, Wenger replied:"Yes. Football is like that - you have to accept the result. I thought at some stage it might go that way and we could have even lost the game.
"After having two difficult results, we didn't panic and kept faith in our game."
The win means that Arsenal kept their first clean sheet in nine league games andstrengthen their grip on fourth spot, although they still remain nine points behind leaders Chelsea ahead of their next match against Crystal Palace.