Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker says they proved themselves under pressure at Aston Villa this week.

The Gunners were fancied to beat struggling Aston Villa but had to wait until Yossi Benayoun's 87th-minute header to secure a narrow 2-1 victory.

"We felt the pressure because of the bad game against Man City [on Sunday] but we have now won away from home again," Mertesacker told arsenal.com.

"We were under pressure but we found a good solution with the first goal. We created some good chances but not as much as we thought at the beginning as Villa were always quick. Gabriel Agbonlahor was in some good situations [to score] but defensively we did a good job.

"Villa are a confident side. We thought because of their bad run that they were struggling, but I didn't feel that today."