Arsene Wenger backs Albion's Premier League credentials

ARSENAL boss Arsene Wenger backed Albion's credentials to compete in the Premier League after praising them for not "crumbling" in their opening-day defeat at the Emirates.

Tony Mowbray admitted he feared the Baggies were in for a "good hiding" when debutant Samir Nasri opened the scoring after just four minutes of the Gunners' 1-0 victory yesterday.

But Wenger's words of comfort add weight to the Albion manager's unflinching belief that his team should be aiming for a mid-table finish rather than mere survival in the top flight.

"I believe they defended intelligently, they tried to play in a positive way, we expected them at some stage to crumble a little bit and they never did," said Wenger.

"They kept going until the last second of the game. They had fantastic spirit and a positive attitude towards the game. They were not dirty but they were resilient and well organised."