Theo Walcott ‘proud’ to help Arsenal prove doubters wrong

Theo Walcott admitted his pride at helping Arsenal secure Champions League qualification and prove the Gunners’ critics wrong.

Laurent Koscielny hooked home the vital winner to seal a 1-0 victory at Newcastle United to cement a top-four finish ahead of north London rivals Tottenham.

And Walcott was delighted to see Arsene Wenger’s men qualify for Europe’s elite club competition for the 16th consecutive season – but has now challenged the Gunners to fight for the title next term.

“We had to prove people wrong,” Walcott told Arsenal’s website. “We had to get something out of each other.

“We had a disappointing result at Tottenham and it is never nice when you lose against them. But then we thought if we can beat Bayern [Munich]…

“I am proud of everyone in the dressing room. We have had some ups and downs but showed belief in one another and that is what we are made of at Arsenal.

“But we don’t want celebrations for the Champions League [qualification], we want to be challenging for the title. That is our next goal.”