Arsenal skipper Robin van Persie admits their Champions League win at Udinese was "vital".
Van Persie praised his team-mates after Wednesday's 2-1 win over Udinese.
The Dutchman believes the future is bright for the club with the likes of Carl Jenkinson, Emmanuel Frimpong and Wojciech Szczesny, who saved a penalty, all performing with distinction.
"It's vital for Arsenal," he told Sky Sports. "Of course we did lose Samir and Cesc which is very hard for us because those are two great players.
"To come up with that performance in the second half is special. If you look at our team and people did question our mental strength. We've shown loads of that.
"Carl Jenkinson for example, I think it was his best game so far.
"We played really well. Szczesny is on fire. He saves almost everything.
"Frimpong is doing well. I'm just happy that we're in it and let's go from there."
