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Wenger praises EFL Cup performance

Cape Town - Arsene Wenger was pleased with his side's team performance as Arsenal comprehensively defeated Nottingham Forest 4-0 in their EFL Cup third-round clash on Tuesday.

Wenger made 11 changes to the side that defeated Hull 4-1 in their last clash as he continued his policy of playing fringe players in the League Cup.

Granit Xhaka had opened the scoring before Lucas Perez got his first two goals for the club, the first of which came from the penalty spot, before Alex Oxlade Chamberlain's late strike.

Speaking to the club's official website, Wenger said he was satisfied with the result.

He said: "I am, because it was a good team performance played at a very high pace. We played a very quick technical game and we went always forward and tried to score goals.

"We played the game well out from the back. Overall it’s a performance that deserves great credit and I would like to congratulate the players tonight - it was fantastic."

Wenger also had special praise for Perez, who netted in the 60th and 71st minutes, and Oxlade-Chamberlain.

"The second goal has technical quality and desire, determination and fighting spirit," he said. "I liked the second goal for that, I liked as well the goal he made for Oxlade-Chamberlain. I’m very pleased for him.

He added: "He’s (Oxlade-Chamberlain) in good form at the moment, physically. It’s the first time in a long period that he has been ready to compete and he had a little bit of a slow start in this game but became stronger and stronger. I was very pleased for him with the way he finished the game."

Next up for Arsenal is a Premier League clash with Chelsea, and with a number of young players impressing against Forest, Wenger says his regular starters will have to earn their place.

He explained: "We have four days to prepare for the game, let’s focus on that now. The performance tonight shows that the players who played at Hull need to be on their toes and that's what we want - competition for places. The performance tonight shows that competition exists, really."

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