Carl Jenkinson was proud to play his part in a vital win over Cardiff City on Tuesday night.

The right back came off the bench to make his first Premier League appearance since November 2016 - a wait of 801 days - and received a warm reception from the Emirates Stadium crowd.

Our attacking full backs made their mark, with Sead Kolasinac winning a penalty and Jenkinson pushing up on the right, and the England international was delighted to be involved.

“It’s never easy [to come on as a substitute] as a defender, but I was given the license to get forward and join the attack,” he said.

“We were pushing to win the game so my job was to get forward and try to cause problems, and if I wasn’t getting on the ball, my job was to open up space for other players. I did my best to do that, I was running up and down and I did my best to get involved and cause problems. I think I did that so I’m happy. It was great to come on and play a part in a win.

“Now I’ve got to push on,” he added. “I’ve got to keep working. That’s what I do best. I’m pushing and I’m pushing. We’ve got top lads in the squad and whoever plays is going to do a job, but for personal pride of course I want to be in the team.

“I’m training as hard as I can to give the manager a problem and get myself in the team.”