Wenger praises Arsenal's 'relentless efforts' after fourth consecutive league win

The Gunners came from behind again to beat Newcastle to go three points clear of fifth-placed Chelsea and close the gap on third-placed Tottenham to just one point

 Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he is thrilled with the collective spirit demonstrated by his team after they set a Premier League record for coming from behind to win in four consecutive matches.

The Gunners narrowly beat Newcastle United 2-1 after Thomas Vermaelen grabbed a late winner in the 95th minute, following Hatem Ben Arfa and Robin van Persie’s first-half goals.
Victory over the Magpies sees the north London side move three points clear of fifth placed Chelsea as they try to secure a Champions League place.
The 62-year-old manager has hailed the spirit of the players after overcoming a difficult period to reinstate themselves within the top-four.

"That is the best response to something that has been questioned sometimes this season," Wenger told reporters.
"I believe that shows we have quality, we have spirit, which I have never questioned. It was a relentless effort again tonight from the first to the last minute. The tempo was absolutely top level tonight. We kept going until the last second and just managed to win the game.

"Certainly the fact we have done it before helped us. Even when we were 1-0 down we just kept going and we feel now at the moment in the team we just have that complete and total commitment to do as well as we can and give absolutely everything.

"That gets the crowd behind the team and you saw a very entertaining game tonight against a very good Newcastle side.

"The atmosphere is great within the squad, and tonight it was exceptional in the dressing room because the pleasure is even more intense when you win in the final minute of the game where you have given everything. And the disappointment is intense when you have lost in the last minute of a game."
Arsenal have climbed to within a point of third-placed rivals Tottenham following their fourth consecutive league triumph, which Wenger believes can be attributed to the team's commitment.
He continued: "We played recently against Tottenham, Liverpool, Newcastle and Sunderland who are all very difficult to beat and we won all of these games.

"We know every time it was very tight and we won in the last minute in three of them. There is definitely complete commitment in every single game. Where we finish is down to how we keep going and if we put that same amount of effort into every single game.

"I don't compare us to any other team, I just think we have rebuilt confidence and belief and that will be vital in the race until the end. It can change very quickly because as soon as you lose a little bit of urgency you are in trouble in this league. So let's focus on keeping that and after we will see when we finish.

"It's very important that we keep our feet on the ground, keep our complete focus and give absolutely everything until the end. We have done that recently because we produced a great game tonight, we produced a great game against Milan and we produced a great game against Tottenham. That has to be our real target."