ARSENE Wenger was pleased to have seen his young Arsenal side come through a tough 'physical' test as they beat Luke Wilkshire's FC Twente 2-0 in Arnhem to move a step closer the group stages of the Champions League.
The Gunners had been pressed onto the back foot for most of the opening hour by the Dutch, now under the guidance of former England head coach Steve McClaren.
But for better finishing from Romano Denneboom and Marko Arnautovic - who both missed good chances in the first half - the Premier League side could have been facing an uphill battle to continue their decade-long run among the elite of European football.
However, slowly Arsenal - who had Wales teenager Aaron Ramsey making a full debut in central midfield because of injury to Cesc Fabregas - got a foothold in the game and took the lead when captain William Gallas bundled in a deep free-kick from Robin van Persie just after the hour.
Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor netted a second with eight minutes left to put the Gunners in command of the tie.
"They imposed a very physical game on us, with man marking all over the pitch. They did that with a lot of belief and spirit," said Wenger.
"In the first half, they had some chances, but in the second half we slowly took over.
"They have given so much in the first half, they could not keep the same pace and tightness in their marking.
"From then on, we looked more comfortable."
Wenger added: "We were a very young team and we did not lose our nerve, did not panic.
"In the end maybe our technical superiority allowed us to score two goals - that is a massive advantage for the second leg, but we will be on our toes."
McClaren - whose England reign ended under an umbrella on a wet November night at Wembley - was happy enough with the effort shown by his team.
However, without suspended striker Blaise Kufo and injured frontman Youssouf Hersi, Twente paid the price for lack of a cutting edge in front of goal.
"We said that in Europe against the top teams you don't get many chances and you have to take one. We failed to do that and we got punished," the former Middlesbrough coach reflected.
"We had a bad spell of 10 minutes in the second half, lost concentration and we conceded that first goal which deflated us - but credit to the team, they kept going.
"I think Arsenal will come away absolutely delighted with the result.
"You saw a performance of great spirit and Arsenal were rattled, they know they have been in a game."
McClaren added: "We are so disappointed, but proud of the performance.
"It just showed our inexperience in Europe in key moments and key occasions that we lost this game.
"We have a hell of a mountain to climb now, but we just need to put in another good performance.
"This team will learn a lot and be better for it."
But for better finishing from Romano Denneboom and Marko Arnautovic - who both missed good chances in the first half - the Premier League side could have been facing an uphill battle to continue their decade-long run among the elite of European football.
However, slowly Arsenal - who had Wales teenager Aaron Ramsey making a full debut in central midfield because of injury to Cesc Fabregas - got a foothold in the game and took the lead when captain William Gallas bundled in a deep free-kick from Robin van Persie just after the hour.
Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor netted a second with eight minutes left to put the Gunners in command of the tie.
"They imposed a very physical game on us, with man marking all over the pitch. They did that with a lot of belief and spirit," said Wenger.
"In the first half, they had some chances, but in the second half we slowly took over.
"They have given so much in the first half, they could not keep the same pace and tightness in their marking.
"From then on, we looked more comfortable."
Wenger added: "We were a very young team and we did not lose our nerve, did not panic.
"In the end maybe our technical superiority allowed us to score two goals - that is a massive advantage for the second leg, but we will be on our toes."
McClaren - whose England reign ended under an umbrella on a wet November night at Wembley - was happy enough with the effort shown by his team.
However, without suspended striker Blaise Kufo and injured frontman Youssouf Hersi, Twente paid the price for lack of a cutting edge in front of goal.
"We said that in Europe against the top teams you don't get many chances and you have to take one. We failed to do that and we got punished," the former Middlesbrough coach reflected.
"We had a bad spell of 10 minutes in the second half, lost concentration and we conceded that first goal which deflated us - but credit to the team, they kept going.
"I think Arsenal will come away absolutely delighted with the result.
"You saw a performance of great spirit and Arsenal were rattled, they know they have been in a game."
McClaren added: "We are so disappointed, but proud of the performance.
"It just showed our inexperience in Europe in key moments and key occasions that we lost this game.
"We have a hell of a mountain to climb now, but we just need to put in another good performance.
"This team will learn a lot and be better for it."
Copyright (c) Press Association
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