The English side were stunned when the hosts went two up after five minutes, thanks to goals from Eliaquim Mangala and Milan Jovanovic.

Nicklas Bendtner pulled one back just before the break and two second-half goals from Thomas Vermaelen and Eduardo da Silva gave Arsenal a precious victory in their Group H opener.

"It can happen to anybody to be caught like that," Frenchman Wenger said after the game.

"To win at the end of the game, you need to be very strong, especially on a night like that where Standard gave absolutely everything.

"They played like a Cup Final tonight with full commitment, and they deserve a lot of credit as well."

Croatian striker Eduardo scored the winner, two days after his diving ban was lifted on appeal.

"It is always inevitable with Eduardo. He was caught out on the first goal, but he is a guy who can always turn up on crosses because he has that anticipation," Wenger commented.