Arsenal vs. Southampton: Arsene Wenger and Ronald Koeman Post-Match Reaction

Arsene Wenger believed his team fully deserved their last-minute 1-0 win against Southampton on Wednesday, with Arsenal using a man-advantage after an injury to Toby Alderweireld to find the winner through Alexis Sanchez.   

As shared by the club's Twitter feed, Wenger refuted the thought a draw would have been a fairer result, or that the goal came courtesy of the man advantage:

Southampton manager Ronald Koeman had used all of his substitutions when Belgium Alderweireld couldn't continue due to injury, forcing Saints to play with 10 men for the final minutes. Sanchez tapped in the winner from close range, an area of the box the centre-back would have defended under normal circumstances.

None of that matters once the final whistle has blown, however, and Wenger had no intention to talk about anything else than the result. He praised Southampton for their organisation and how difficult they made things on his squad:

Once again, it was Chile international Sanchez who came to the rescue for the Gunners. The former Barcelona man has had a huge impact since joining Arsenal during the summer, and his manager remains amazed he's been able to adapt to his new surroundings so quickly:

Striker Olivier Giroud celebrated his return to the squad after a lengthy absence due to injury, and he appeared to be moving just fine on Wednesday. Wenger believed his presence was felt, even if he didn't register on the scoresheet:

Another player who celebrated his return was Laurent Koscielny, immediately shoring up the Gunners' back four. Defence has been an issue for the squad in 2014-15, and the return of the France international should be a big help in that department.

His compatriot saw the same thing:

Wenger admitted his team looked far from perfect against Southampton, but expressed his belief that it's important to be able to win matches even when not everything is clicking:

As reported by the Daily Express' Jamie Anderson, Koeman felt more inclined to comment about Alderweireld's injury and the consequences he believed it had.

He thought his team looked much improved compared to the 3-0 loss Saints suffered against Manchester City, before admitting they don't have the depth to cope with the busy December schedule, unlike the top clubs:

"

We had a good positive reaction after last Sunday, a good first half, good ball possession, a good chance off Pelle. 

After an hour it was more difficult, Arsenal were pressing more but the difference was 11 v 10. We were unlucky to get a player injured after making all of our substitutions, you know they will create chances and in the last few minutes they made it 1-0. Forster had a very good game today.

We knew it would be difficult but the performance today is better than Sunday. We know we don't have the numbers of players that Arsenal and Manchester United have.

"

Star midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin missed Wednesday's match because of an injury, and via ESPN FC's Ben Dinnery, Koeman believes he won't return in time for Saints' Week 15 fixture against Manchester United:

The Mancunians have won four straight and sit just one point behind Southampton in the Premier League standings, so it could be another difficult afternoon for Koeman's men.

Arsenal will travel to take on Stoke City, losers of their last three matches.

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