Wenger Downbeat After United Thrashing

Arsene Wenger said his side were bitterly disappointed to crash out of the FA Cup, but accepted the Gunners' performance just wasn't good enough.

Arsenal were trounced 4-0 by Manchester United at Old Trafford, delivering an awful performance in this FA Cup fifth round tie.

Speaking after the match, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger admitted that his side were very much second best. "It was an off-day for us - we were beaten everywhere," the Frenchman told BBC Sport.

"We never looked like coming back and when we tried in the second half we had Eboué sent off straight away and then it was of course game over. It's disappointing but this team has given a lot and we were up for it before the game, it just didn't work for us today and Man United were better.

The only positive news is that we have no new injuries and we can now prepare for Wednesday (against AC Milan). We know we need a top class performance then to be in with a chance."

Cup Is Important, Defeat Does Hurt

Asked by the reported whether the FA Cup was not considered important by Arsenal, Wenger refuted the allegation. "Not at all," he said. "We just had a bad today and United were better. We're all very disappointed in the dressing room - we had a good enough team today to have a chance to win here," he added, defending his team selection.

'Harsh' Dismissal

As for Eboué's dismissal, the Frenchman remarked that it looked harsh from where he was sitting. And regarding his player's petulance near the end of the game, such as the heavy challenges on Nani when the Portuguese started showboating, Wenger stressed that his players' reactions were entirely understandable. "It's normal," he protested. "It's difficult enough to swallow when you're three or four-nil down. You don't want to be teased for humiliated."