The Frenchman played down Alexis Sanchez's reaction to being taken off in the 1-0 win over Norwich on Saturday
It was relief rather than triumph written on the face of Arsene Wenger as Arsenal all but secured the much-prized third place in the Premier League.
The scoreline was a throwback to a bygone era. The performance will not be remembered as a vintage one for a Wenger team.
But after a traumatic week with talk of protests and demonstrations,
victory was needed to quell the unrest. And thanks to an inspired substitution, the three points were Arsenal's.
Danny Welbeck was summoned from the bench in the 56th minute in place of Alex Iwobi. Initially, it was ammunition for the discontented among the Arsenal fans who jeered the decision. All forgotten on the hour as Hector Bellerin crossed, Olivier Giroud headed the ball down with precision and Welbeck – with the help of a deflection from Sebastien Bassong – drove home the winner.
At last Giroud made a positive contribution. The French striker had spent most of the game on his backside and making more protests than any Arsenal fan as he looked for free-kicks.
Not so happy at the end was Alexis Sanchez. With five minutes to go, Wenger wanted to protect the 1-0 lead which was earned the hard way against a resolute and energetic Norwich outfit whose instinct for survival served them well.
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