Arsene Wenger hailed "tricky" Alexis Sanchez after the Chile striker scored the opening goal in Arsenal's 2-0 win over Southampton on Wednesday.
The Gunners kept alive their hopes of finishing in the top four with a rare Premier League victory at St. Mary's after Sanchez broke the deadlock with a sublime finish in the 60th minute.
Sanchez collected a pass from Mesut Ozil and sent two defenders sprawling to the ground before switching directions and slotting a composed left-footed finish past Fraser Forster.
"That's Alexis, you know. He's a player who never gives up, and he's always tricky to stop. He's very good in short space, and in the box. Once he has the ball in the box, he's dangerous," Wenger told Sky Sports. "Alexis, he always grows during the game. He's always a bit of a slow starter, and gets stronger and stronger."
The goal came after a dull first half where Southampton had the better chances to score first, but Arsenal controlled the game after going ahead.
Olivier Giroud came off the bench to double the lead in the 83rd with a thumping header, his sixth goal of the season as a substitute. Wenger had dropped Giroud in favour of Danny Welbeck for the last two games, but praised the French striker for his ability to have an impact.
"He has been amazing for us," Wenger said. "It's difficult for me at the moment, it's between Welbeck and Giroud. And both of them have played well, and both of them have a great team spirit as well. So I'm always harsh with the one who doesn't play."
Wenger also hailed the character of his side after they continued their resurgence following a terrible run of form which saw them go from title contenders to sixth in the table -- pointing to the FA Cup semifinal win over Manchester City as the turning point.
"I never questioned the character of my side,'' he said. "We went through a bad patch. It's a good opportunity to show your character, how you come back and how you recover.
"Maybe the City game gave us confidence. Let's not go too quickly to conclusions, and focus and give everything at Stoke on Saturday.We know we can only win our games, and we had a strong performance on Sunday. A strong performance today. So let's just continue.''
The win lifts Arsenal into fifth place, three points behind Manchester City. The Gunners are four points behind third-placed Liverpool but have a game in hand, meaning they could still sneak into the top four if the Reds drop points in either of their remaining two games.
Arsenal's remaining games are against Stoke, Sunderland and Everton, and they will likely need to win all three to have a chance.
The only negative for Arsenal about the evening was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain coming off with a hamstring injury in the first half; Wenger said the midfielder-turned-wing-back will be assessed in the coming days but wouldn't give an estimate for his return.
"He came off with a tight hamstring, and we'll know maybe in the next 48 hours how bad it is," he said.