TOP GUN GIROUD Arsenal star delivers on his goal promise
Stunning strike gives Arsenal a late winner
OLIVIER GIROUD was as good as his word when he scored a brilliant Europa League winner for Arsenal in a 1-0 victory away to Red Star Belgrade last night.
The France striker had told manager Arsene Wenger during the game that the Gunners were on the verge of breaking the deadlock — and duly delivered with a stunning overhead kick five minutes from time.
But it was a different story at Goodison Park, where Everton lost 2-1 against Lyon in a Group E match marred by violent scenes involving both sets of players and home fans. Captain Ashley Williams was lucky to escape a red card after a melee that saw at least one Everton fan aim a punch at visiting players.
THE jury remains out on the first string but it would be awfully hard for Troy Deeney to criticise the ‘cojones’ of the back-up boys. Grubby wins in angry arenas are not achieved by the weak.
And make no mistake, this was a dog fight of a match, the sort of game in the sort of place where Arsenal teams are meant to stumble. But out of the furnace came some Arsenal fire, this maligned club coming up with the fighting spirit needed to maintain their 100 per cent record in Group H.
The goal that did it was exceptional, a thing of beauty in a game that did not deserve it, delivered by a player in Olivier Giroud who looked the least likely to pull it off.
He was struggling, guilty of poor touches, pointless runs and one finish in the second half that was so bad people started laughing.
But then, with 85 minutes gone and Red Star down to 10 men, he arched his back and met a header from Theo Walcott, blasting the winner with an overhead kick. Stunning, absurd, brilliant, turning a decent result into a good one for a side that barely resembled anything Arsene Wenger might use in the Premier League.
In light of Deeney’s graphic observations that they lacked guts, among other things, against Watford last weekend, maybe that was no bad thing. But in any case, they delivered and are now within a whisker of the knockout stages.
While there was more than a whiff of truth to what Deeney had said, this was a night to give Arse- nal’s manager his due.
Wenger said: ‘Overall the spirit we showed was remarkable, fighting together. They defended very well, with a lot of determination. But the goal was the consequence of us wanting to play through them.’
It was also the product of Giroud’s self-confidence after such a torrid performance.
Red Star are distant relations of the force they once were, but their ground still generates one of the fiercest atmospheres in Europe.
But Wenger knew the heat was coming and still made nine changes to the side that rolled over at Watford, with only Petr Cech and Mohamed Elneny retained and the latter switched to centre half next to Mathieu Debuchy, who was given his first start in 327 days.
There was also a place for Jack Wilshere, as has become standard in Arsenal’s lower-priority competitions. He is yet to get so much as a minute in the league this season, which must now change. Surely.
He was the star man again here, that little whirlwind of movement and personality who Arsenal have desperately missed.
Wenger said: ‘He will get a chance in the Premier League don’t worry about that.’
In the first half, almost any attack of note from Arsenal came through Wilshere, with the midfielder creating marginal openings for Walcott and Giroud in the first 10 minutes. He then played a part in the move that presented Walcott with Arsenal’s best chance of the half, only for the forward to scuff his finish.
Red Star responded with intent. Richmond Boakye hit the bar with a header and Cech made a great save to stop Nemanja Radonjic.
The second half was fading into a battle with no worthy flashes, barring Giroud’s scoop over the bar from no distance at all and the runs from the increasingly impressive 17-year-old Reiss Nelson.
But then, crucially, Red Star went down to 10 men when Milan Rodic was dismissed and Giroud had his moment, made by the combination of Wilshere and Walcott.
It was a great finish. It took cajones just to try it.