Arsene Wenger praises Arsenal mental strength

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has praised his side's mental strength after beating Fenerbahce 3-0 in Istanbul on Wednesday night to give them a big advantage heading into the second leg of their Champions League qualifier.

The Gunners endured a shock start to the Premier League season at the weekend after going down 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium to Aston Villa.

However, Wenger was pleased to see his team recover from the defeat in scintillating style against the Turkish outfit in hostile conditions.

"This team has shown a lot of mental strength," Wenger told reporters. "I told you on Tuesday that you had forgotten that this team has lost only one game since March under very, very special circumstance.

"Of course ,the environment we faced was difficult but the only way to do it is to go out there and play football like you want to play. I believe we played in a very, very heated atmosphere against a good team, but we had a proactive attitude from the first minute on, and that was certainly was very important.

"We did not come in shaking, but came in resolute and determined and with a desire to take the game to them - and overall we were in control."

Kieran Gibbs, Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud scored the goals for Arsenal.