Wenger hits back at 'embarrassing' Mourinho after Arsenal advance in FA Cup
- Arsene Wenger has hit back at Jose Mourinho for calling him a 'specialist in failure'
- Arsenal boss said he was not affected by the comments but they were 'embarrassing for Chelsea'
- The Frenchman saw his side progress to FA Cup sixth round with 2-1 defeat of Liverpool
- Chelsea were dumped out of the competition by Manchester City and failed to register a shot on target
Arsene Wenger has hit back at Jose Mourinho's 'silly, disrespectful remark' regarding his achievements as Arsenal manager, claiming the comments bring 'embarrassment' on Chelsea.
The Gunners boss was speaking after seeing his side reach the FA Cup quarter-finals following a 2-1 win over Liverpool, courtesy of goals from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Lukas Podolski.
The result was a perfect response to not only Arsenal's 5-1 loss to Liverpool a week ago, but also to Mourinho's barbed claim on Friday that Wenger was a 'specialist in failure'.
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Retort: Arsene Wenger told BT Sport 1 that Jose Mourinho's 'specialist in failure' comments were 'embarrassing for Chelsea'
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Advancing: Wenger saw his team beat Liverpool 2-1 at the Emirates
WAR OF WORDS - What Jose said
‘Am I afraid of failure? He is a specialist in failure. I’m not. So if one supposes he’s right and I’m afraid of failure, it’s because I don’t fail many times.
'So maybe he’s right. I’m not used to failing. But the reality is he’s a specialist because, eight years without a piece of silverware, that’s failure.
‘If I did that in Chelsea I’d leave and not come back to London. I don’t fear anything in football.’
'So maybe he’s right. I’m not used to failing. But the reality is he’s a specialist because, eight years without a piece of silverware, that’s failure.
‘If I did that in Chelsea I’d leave and not come back to London. I don’t fear anything in football.’
Wenger insists his comments were not aimed at Mourinho and slammed his rival for his controversial riposte.
'I do not want to go into that silly, disrespectful remark. I never spoke about him in my press conference and I will not start,' Wenger told BT Sport.
'The only thing I know is it's more embarrassing for Chelsea than for me.'
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Limp: Chelsea were dumped out of the FA Cup by Manchester City after failing to register a shot on target
Wenger later added: 'I'm embarrassed for him, honestly. I'm more disappointed for Chelsea than for me.
'I'm not interested in the subject at all. That is really genuine.
'If you are interested and you have nothing better to do in your life, you are free to do it.
'Honestly I cannot force my interest in things that are not interesting for me.
'I love football - and I'm sorry to disappoint you - what's interesting for me is what happens on the pitch.'
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Denied: Howard Webb failed to give Liverpool a second penalty after Luis Suarez was clearly fouled
Reflecting on Sunday's win over Liverpool, which tees up a home last-eight meeting with Everton, Wenger added: 'I'm very proud of the way we responded to the huge defeat we had last week, and that was the most pleasing thing.
'To win makes you stronger, and that was important today.
'The FA Cup is always interesting, and now we have another big tie here. It will be an interesting game.'
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers felt his side were wrongly denied a certain penalty kick which could well have changed the outcome of the game.
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'To win makes you stronger, and that was important today.
'The FA Cup is always interesting, and now we have another big tie here. It will be an interesting game.'
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers felt his side were wrongly denied a certain penalty kick which could well have changed the outcome of the game.
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Definite: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was second to the ball and brought down the Uruguayan striker
The visitors were awarded one penalty when Podolski tripped Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard converted, but it was another incident in the area that became the focus of much of the post-match analysis.
Referee Howard Webb ruled Oxlade-Chamberlain committed no foul when he went in hard on Suarez, although replays suggested otherwise.
Suarez's amateur dramatics did him no favours, but Rodgers nevertheless felt there was only one decision.
'We're bitterly disappointed not to get another penalty,' he said. 'It was probably more clear and blatant than the first one.
'The second one is clear. I'm not sure if it was just after [the first one being awarded], but it was a clear penalty. Luis got a touch on the ball and young Alex has taken him out.
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Bitterly disappointed: Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers was angry by the penalty of not being awarded
'It was a strange decision. It was a penalty... and it was a clear one.'
Reflecting on the game overall, Rodgers added: 'I thought the best team lost. The very least we deserved was a replay.
'We're disappointed with the goals, apart from that we were a threat, we played with real confidence and belief.'
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