Wenger praises ‘outstanding’ Cech despite Gunners defeat

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes goalkeeper Petr Cech showed he can still do it at the top level after a scintillating display in the North London derby.

The 34-year-old was in inspired form at White Hart Lane, but it wasn’t enough to stop Tottenham Hotspur prevailing 2-0 thanks to goals from Dele Alli and Harry Kane.

That means Spurs will finish above the Gunners in the Premier League table for the first time in 22 years whilst also putting a massive dent in the Gunners’ hopes for a top-four finish.

But while the majority of the players had a bad day at the office, Cech was one of those who could at least leave with some credit, according to Wenger anyway.

(Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

“He had an outstanding performance,” Wenger said. “He was one of the players who turned up today and it shows that he still has it at the top level.

“It’s a big blow [to concede two goals so quickly] but I think on the first goal we were a bit naive and that was disappointing.

“I felt it was a tight game until they scored the first goal. After, we conceded the second one straightaway and then mentally we were under shock a little bit. From then on, it became difficult for us.

“Overall I think if you look at the chances created, Spurs deserved to win the game. We didn’t create enough, we didn’t take our chances. There was plenty of room in the first half to do more than what we did with the balls we had. That is the regret of the game.”