Post match reaction to Reading 1 - 3 Arsenal

Last updated : 23 November 2007 By Angus Muller

Emmanuel Adebayor was keen to deflect attention away from his own goalscoring exploits and insists he is more concerned with claiming maximum points following the Gunners' 3-1 win over Reading.

Mathieu Flamini put Arsene Wenger's side ahead in the first half before goals from Adebayor and Alexander Hleb put the game beyond Reading's reach.

Not even a late consolation from Royals defender Nicky Shorey could take the gloss off yet another classy performance from the north Londoners.

Adebayor told Setanta Sports: "The most important thing is for team to win. I'm proud of my performance but the most important job is for the team and getting the three points."

Man-of-the-match Cesc Fabregas said: "They are a very good side. They try to play football.

"But when we play as a team it's very difficult for others, once again it was a great performance from us.

"If we keep going like this we have good chance (of winning the Premier League).

"The season is very long and we'll have to fight for our place at the top."

Arsene Wenger felt his side were in control for long periods against Steve Coppell's side.

He said: "I felt we were in control, but we needed to be patient.

"They didn't come at us and they wanted to catch us on break - it was us going at them, we were always in control.

"I didn't want my team to get frustrated, we knew we needed to be patient, maybe the first goal coming before half-time was the killer for Reading."

Wenger was also quick to lavish praise on his young side following another imperious display.

He said: "It's enjoyable to watch and work with them. They are hungry, they have a fantastic spirit and attitude."

Royals boss Coppell admitted Arsenal's goal just before the break was the decisive moment of the game.

He said: "The first goal before half-time was critical, they had a lot of possession but didn't create a great deal. There were signs they were getting frustrated.

"We talked about getting hurt on rebound from our corners and set-pieces and, lo and behold, they score from it.

"We found it hard to get back into game when their confidence started flowing."