Patrick Vieira paid tribute to compatriot Sylvain Wiltord after Arsenal dumped Chelsea out of the FA Cup at Highbury.
Wiltord’s double sent the Gunners into the quarter-finals after Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink’s fine effort had cancelled out Thierry Henry’s penalty.
The game had been extremely tight before Wiltord’s second-half arrival, but his brace ensured that Arsene Wenger’s men ran out comfortable 3-1 winners.
Vieira said: "It was a difficult game. When Sylvain came on he did fantastic and I think we deserved to win."
Star striker Henry added: "Today it was more difficult than a league game. But the way we played today we are really confident about the way we are playing."
The all-London clash had threatened to boil over just before the interval, with Dennis Wise at the centre of a near-brawl involving several players.
But Henry said: "You have to expect that because it is the FA Cup. We fought really hard."