FA Cup: Vieira hails "fantastic" Wiltord

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."