Arsene Wenger hails 'vital' salvage mission as Arsenal snatch win against Anderlecht

Arsene Wenger hailed his team's late fightback as 'vital' after the Gunners scored two late goals to beat Anderlecht 2-1 on Wednesday night.

The win keeps his side firmly in contention to qualify from Group D and leaves the Premier League outfit placed second behind Borussia Dortmund.

Kieran Gibbs cancelled out Andy Najar's opener in the 89th minute, before Lukas Podolski scored the winner in injury time. 

Arsene Wenger turned 65 on Wednesday and he celebrated reaching that landmark with a late win in Belgium

Alexis Sanchez leaps on to the back of Podolski after he scored the winner in Brussels

Arsenal players celebrate with Podolski after his decisive goal at Constant Vanden Stock Stadium

'We kept going and managed to score two good goals because we had the spirit and refused to lose the game,' Wenger told Sky Sports 1.

'Anderlecht played well tonight and you see that this country produces top-class players.

'It was vital for us to have a chance to qualify. We are in a strong position now.

'Galatasaray and Anderlecht have only one point, we have six and Dortmund nine, so it's down to us now to win our home games and we are through.'

Wenger remains confident that Arsenal can still top Group D ahead of Dortmund. 

Arsenal's Kieran Gibbs scores the equalising goal in the 89th minute in Belgium

Gibbs leveled the score before Podolski went on to score a late winner for the Gunners

VIDEO We didn't create enough chances - Wenger 

'It's in our hands,' the Frenchman added.

'Dortmund can be a tough opponent. We now play Anderlecht at home.

'Let's just qualify and then we will see how far we can go.'

Arsenal were on course to return to London empty-handed and Gibbs admits his side were disappointed for their performance before the late rally.

'I felt we controlled quite a lot of the game,' said Gibbs. 'Our final ball was letting us down massively and that was frustrating

'We had to keep probing and it took until the last minute to get our reward.'

Gibbs runs towards supporters after scoring his equaliser in the Champions League tie

Gibbs celebrates with Arsenal's Spanish defender Nacho Monreal in the Group D match

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