Arsene Wenger insists home form key for finishing in Premier League's top four

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was delighted after his team managed to hang on to their lead and bring home the three points against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

The Gunners suffered a late scare but managed a 2-1 win over the Eagles, which saw them catapult Manchester United and Southampton into third place in the Premier League. However, the Saints can knock them down to fourth with a win over Liverpool on Sunday.

But the Arsenal manager has revealed that their key strategy in the race for a place in the top-four is putting in strong performances at home. And the Gunners do have key fixtures against Everton, Chelsea and Liverpool coming up at the Emirates Stadium.

The north London club have lost just one game at home thus far this campaign and having played two more away games at this stage, the manager is confident that good performances at the Emirates until the end of the season will ensure a place in the Champions League for next season.

"We know now that we have played two more away games [than home games] and it will be down to how strong we are at home. I feel quite strong and let's just continue to fight and be tight until the end," Wenger said, as quoted on Arsenal's official site.

Meanwhile, the French manager has praised his defence for a solid display against Palace despite his team switching off in the last minute, which almost allowed the hosts to grab an equaliser.

"We can learn from every game. I believe that the players know that maybe they switched off a little bit too early. Overall I still must say that our central defenders played very well today against a very direct and a very physical game at the back. They did well so overall I'm pleased to have won three points in a place like this," the 65-year-old manager added.