GUDNI Bergsson drew consolation and comfort from defeat at Highbury when he maintained Wanderers are better equipped for top flight survival than they were last season.

"Twelve months ago we were top of the table so you probably can't say that," the Reebok skipper acknowledged, "but we have a season in the Premiership under our belts and, although we had that bad start to the season, we have responded well.

"We had two really great wins after the first two games and have been very unlucky not to get results out of top fixtures."

Wanderers currently stand on six points from six games, having beaten Aston Villa and Manchester United after opening up with defeats at Fulham and home to Charlton and, despite the heartbreak of losing by last gasp goals to Liverpool and Arsenal on successive Saturday's, Bergsson sees reasons to be cheerful.

"We are pretty much upbeat," he said after Wanderers went down 2-1 to a stoppage time Kanu winner at Highbury. "We're disappointed but we take some comfort from the performance against a very good Arsenal side and feel we are improving and can improve some more to get some more points on the board."

Bergsson's optimism should please Sam Allardyce.

The manager has spoken of his fears that the manner of the two defeats might dent his players' confidence but the mood in the dressing room at Highbury, despite the bitter disappointment, remained positive.

Wanderers could only hope to rise to the occasion and hope the champions would have an off-day but their cause was not helped by the loss of Ricardo Gardner, out for six weeks after a knee operation, and Kevin Nolan, sidelined for up to a month with a groin tear. But Bergsson, although acknowledging Arsenal's superiority, felt they deserved the point they came so close to taking until, reduced to 10 men by the dismissal of Ivan Campo, they finally conceded the winner three minutes into overtime.

"I think we deserved it for our resilience," he claimed. "They had more of the game but, in the second half in particular, I think we coped with it.

"Then it was an Alamo situation at the end when we had the man sent off and they pressed everybody forward.

"We were still just a minute away from getting a good point but it wasn't to be and we are utterly disappointed. We have to accept it and get on with it and do better next time, making sure we don't let in any more of these late goals."

While Allardyce was critical of David Pugh's handling of the game, Bergsson had no complaints about the penalty he conceded that Gunners' star Thierry Henry missed - his third successive failure from the spot. "To be perfectly honest I did pull him (Freddie Ljungberg). He was on the wrong side of me.

"I thought I'd done a discreet professional foul but I have to hold my hands up. Strictly speaking the referee was justified, although so many of those fouls don't result in penalties and a few minutes later Per Frandsen ought to have had a penalty - but that's the way of the world."