Arsene Wenger admits he did not expect Arsenal ’ s late charge for the top of the Barclays Premier League to be powered by Hector Bellerin and Francis Coquelin . Wenger had all but given up on Coquelin when he was sent on loan to Charlton before Christmas and did not expect Bellerin to progress with such speed after a year at Watford . ‘ Honestly , I couldn ’ t say that in my head Coquelin was one of the first-choice players , ’ said the Arsenal manager . ‘ But my job is to remain open-minded and make decisions when you have to . Francis Coquelin ( right ) has played a vital role in Arsenal 's late push for the Premier League title . ‘ Bellerin is one of the surprises of the season . He was at Watford on loan last year and didn ’ t get the games . He ’ s just 20 years old and you can look at what he does at 20 years of age. ’ Spanish full-back Bellerin scored his second Arsenal goal against Liverpool , on Saturday , a wonderful curling left-footer to break the deadlock and launch his team towards a 4-1 win . He was also responsible for keeping Raheem Sterling under control when Daniel Sturridge came off the bench at half-time and Liverpool reshuffled . ‘ He played against a great player in Sterling , ’ said Wenger . ‘ I selected him because of his pace . I thought Sturridge would play and Sterling would be on the flank . And because of his low centre of gravity . Sterling changes direction very quickly and Hector is a short as well . Hector Bellerin celebrates scoring Arsenal 's first goal during the 4-1 victory against Liverpool . Bellerin broke the Emirates deadlock for Arsenal , cutting in and curling a left-foot strike into the corner . Arsene Wenger admits he did n't expect Bellerin and Coquelin to be playing such key roles . ‘ Maybe he still has some experience to gain but his defending one-against-one is good and going forward he is good . He scored an important goal in a big game and that always shows that the guy has the mental quality to be there. ’ The Arsenal boss did admit Bellerin might have been lucky not to be sent off , having been already booked when he mistimed a slide tackle on Sterling and conceded a penalty , scored by Jordan Henderson . ‘ He was a bit lucky there , ' said Wenger . ‘ He could have got one but I think he genuinely went for the ball . I was just thinking : What do I do if he gets a second yellow ? In the end the referee decided not to give him a yellow because he went for the ball . He was unlucky for the first yellow. ’ Nacho Monreal and Oliver Giroud are among the first to congratulate the unlikely opening goalscorer . Wenger revealed had all but given up on Coquelin when he was sent on loan to Charlton before Christmas .
Arsene Wenger scored Arsenal 's first goal in the 4-1 win against Liverpool . Franci Coquelin has been a revelation in front of Arsenal 's back four . Hector Bellerin admits he did n't expect the duo to become so vital .