Cardiff City boss Neil Warnock was proud of his players in defeat at Arsenal.

The Bluebirds marked their first game since the tragic disappearance of Emiliano Sala with a stirring display, dominating the first half and giving the Gunners a scare when Nathaniel Mendez-Laing scored to make it 2-1 late on.

And Warnock admitted playing the fixture was the perfect tonic for his troops following a "miserable" week, which had left him down and even questioning his own future as a manager.

"It was tough. I was really proud of the lads and fans," said the Cardiff boss after the Arsenal game.

"I thought it was probably our best performance away from home, against a good team. We worked on it for a few days and while it's been a disappointing week, all credit to the boys.

"I don't think we've ever had 19 shots away from home before. If they'd had our chances, I think they'd have won by four or five.

"What's gone on this week has been unprecedented really. But we spoke about it before kick off that we ought to, for Emiliano, put a performance in.

"I know people would expect us to lay down, but I thought if anything they just showed what they were made of."