Wenger hails angry Alexis

Arsene Wenger lavished praise on Alexis Sanchez after Arsenal brushed aside Swansea 4-0 at Liberty Stadium on Saturday, despite the Chilean star’s anger at being substituted.

Sanchez scored the last goal for the Gunners on a day when new Swansea manager Paul Clement saw precisely how big a task it will be to keep his team in the top flight.

The 28-year-old Sanchez was taken off in the final quarter as Wenger sought to give the returning Danny Welbeck some game time.

Even though Sanchez appeared far from happy with the decision, Wenger brushed aside the incident.

“I thought he (Sanchez) was very sharp. I rested him for two weeks and gave him a little breather. I think he benefited from that,” said Wenger.

“I gave him another rest for today, so he will benefit from that as well. He’s hugely influential.

“When you look at the numbers, he’s been involved in about 25 goals for our team. But we also have players on the bench who are strikers who need competition. We were up 4-0, he’s just come back from a good rest, Mesut Ozil as well comes back from sickness, so it was a good opportunity not to be stupid.

“All the players are frustrated when they come off. Some show it, some not. I just make the decision I feel is right, that’s all.

“There’s no problem. In every culture it’s different. Some South Americans are a bit different from the European players, just as southern Europeans are different from northern Europeans. You have to respect the differences.”