Arsene Wenger says Arsenal were 'sold out'

LONDON -- Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger dismissed the thousands of fans who boycotted Tuesday's 2-0 win over Sunderland, claiming "we are sold out" despite the multitude of empty seats at the Emirates.

Arsenal's 60,000-capacity stadium was only about two-thirds full for the penultimate home game of the season as some fan groups opted to stay away to mark their displeasure with the team's season.

Arsenal still need help to get into the top four, and the calls for Wenger to step down have been a constant subplot to the second half of the Gunners' campaign.

But Wenger insisted there was nothing strange about the atmosphere.

"No it's Tuesday night against Sunderland, everybody expects us to win. I didn't count the number of people who were in the seats. We are sold out," he said.

Arsenal count their attendance by tickets sold rather than how many actually come through the gates, meaning the official number for Tuesday's game was 59,510. The actual attendance was probably closer to 40,000.

But Wenger said it didn't affect his players either.

"We do our job, and I think we have shown that again tonight. When you play football you do not count how many people sit in the stands. You play because you want to win the game and because you enjoy to play."

Arsenal's victory, thanks to a late brace from Alexis Sanchez, keeps alive their hopes of sneaking into fourth place on the final day of the season. But they still need Liverpool to drop points against Middlesbrough or Manchester City to fall to a big defeat against Watford to have any chance of getting in.

Some would consider it a miracle if Arsenal manage to maintain their streak of always finishing in the top four under Wenger. But the Frenchman is more optimistic.

"A miracle, no," he said. "I think we have a good chance. It would be the first time you make 75 points and you're not in the top four."

Wenger, who has often talked up his 20 straight top-four finishes as a major achievement despite not winning the league title since 2004, also tried to downplay the significance of seeing that run come to an end.

"I answer for 20 years the question, is top four nothing special. So I don't know why suddenly it could become such a big problem. I'm quite surprised," he said. "I want to absolutely make sure we are in there. But let's get to 75 points and see what happens.

"You want every team to fight like Sunderland did tonight, and after you have to accept the result."