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LONDON -- Arsene Wenger refused to claim a personal victory over Jose Mourinho after Arsenal beat Manchester United 2-0 at the Emirates on Sunday, praising his team for their response to the disappointing loss at Tottenham Hotspur. Granit Xhaka's deflected shot and Danny Welbeck's powerful header kept Arsenal's top-four hopes alive and gave Wenger his first-ever competitive victory over Mourinho. But Wenger, who shook hands with his rival both before and after the game, brushed off the idea that finally beating Mourinho should give him extra personal satisfaction. "It is not manager against manager," he told Sky Sports. "We have had many draws as well and there were some fantastic teams that we played against." And speaking at his news conference, he told reporters: "It's between two teams, and at the end of the day that's what I make of it." Mourinho dismissed his team's chances of finishing in the top four as "impossible" after Sunday's loss, while Wenger insisted his team's hopes were still intact. Arsenal remain two points behind fifth-place United but have a game in hand. They are seven behind third-placed Liverpool with two games in hand and need the Reds to drop points even if they win their remaining four matches. "We have still a chance mathematically, and we need some help as well from the teams around us," Wenger said. Arsenal's victory came just a week after their disappointing 2-0 loss at North London rivals Spurs and was their fourth in five games since Wenger switched to a back three. "It was important because we lost at Tottenham, it didn't happen many times. Overall you play Man United, another big game, you cannot afford to lose today. We responded," Wenger said. "We had just one blip, and I think it was a bit physical. But overall, we look a bit more stable [since switching formations]."
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