Character of Arsenal praised by Wenger

Arsene Wenger criticised his Arsenal players for their display in the first half of last night’s dramatic clash with Liverpool.

But he praised the character they showed to come back after the break, going ahead before being pegged back for a 3-3 draw.

The Gunners manager (pictured) said: “In the first half, we were paralysed and frozen. We played too deep.

“We gave too many balls away and looked second best everywhere.

“In the second half, we have shown quality, character and played at our level.”

Young defender Ainsley Maitland-Niles impressed for Arsenal and relished the drama.

The 20-year-old completed a full 90 minutes for the third time in his first three Premier League appearances, all in the last fortnight.

Asked if he had ever played in a match like it, he said: “Nah, never before in my life! But it was a great experience being out there and I think we showed real character to come back in the game.

“You’ve got to try and take a grip on those games and keep possession of the ball when you’re winning.

“I think I did alright (against dynamic Mo Salah). There’s a few things to work on, but I’m getting there slowly.

“We should have won the game because we were ahead.

“There was no reason for us to drop points so I’m disappointed with the performance really.”

Midfielder Jack Wilshere, who had a quiet night, felt that the Londoners had been too cautious in the first 45 minutes.

He said: “We didn’t do ourselves justice in the first half.

“We were scared to play our game. We allowed them to take the game to us.

“(In the second half ) we were much better, we were on the front foot. We will be disappointed not to win the game.”