Wenger impressed by Gunners fortitude

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The Gunners were cruising at 2-0 up against Sunderland inside a quarter of an hour but Wenger's men then inexplicably lost "mental focus" as the visitors clawed themselves back into the match before Van Persie produced a neat finish following great work by substitute Theo Walcott.

"It was the first time since we were at the top of the league that we had been a bit challenged," said the Arsenal manager. "At the end of the day it was a good lesson for us maturing, because again we still found the resources which showed that there is something in the team which is really strong."

Wenger added: "After 15 minutes, the game looked to be easy and maybe we convinced ourselves of that as well.

"Part of our mental focus went - when you do that at this level, you pay for it."

The Arsenal manager, however, continues to urge cautious optimism for just what this team can achieve - now on their best winning run since the Invincibles of 2003-04.

Wenger said: "It is too early, but what is a good sign is there is a great resilience in the team and that they do not panic.

"The potential is there to be very good, but the competition at that level in the Premier League is very difficult.

"We still had problems against Sunderland, who are down the league, and that shows we have to stay humble and work for each other."