Arsene Wenger backed Thierry Henry after his angry exchange with Wigan's Chris Kirkland at the Emirates Stadium yesterday.

Captain Henry exchanged words with goalkeeper Kirkland, who more than took his time at goal-kicks throughout the match.

Their row came as Arsenal came from a goal down to notch a 2-1 Premiership win.

Denny Landzaat fired struggling Wigan into a first-half lead with a brilliant strike, but Arsenal regrouped following the interval and hit back to level through an own goal from Fitz Hall before Tomas Rosicky's late winner.

"Thierry was upset - but what he did, for me, was right," said Wenger afterwards. "People do not pay money to see people waste time, they come to see football.

"Okay, he should not have done that but it is not the biggest insult we have seen in football. The time-wasting started in the first half - the goalkeeper kept crossing over his area to take kicks."

Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was cautioned for just such an offence late in the match, which rules the German out of the Carling Cup final later this month.

Wenger said: "Jens got a yellow card which I do not understand because Kirkland was doing it all game. Why should it only be on one side?"

Wenger added: "Lehmann would not have played in the Carling Cup final anyway - but I would rather he had not been booked because if we have injuries, you do not know what might happen."

Henry meanwhile insisted: "Kirkland started to waste time from the first minute.  This is one of the games when I have run the most because I was trying to get the ball off him.

"When we scored I asked him if he wanted to waste any more time. It was just a joke but it was a bit annoying."  PA