Wenger’s worry over injured Giroud
ARSENAL will head into the Christmas period without striker Olivier Giroud after the Frenchman limped off with a hamstring injury last night. Arsene Wenger’s side booked their place in the Carabao Cup semi-finals with victory over West Ham, but it came at a cost. Giroud will have a scan tomorrow but Arsenal fear he will miss at least three weeks, leaving them with Alexandre Lacazette as their only fit centre forward as they face Liverpool, Crystal Palace, West Bromwich and Chelsea in the space of 13 days. Manager Wenger said: ‘It was a positive night apart from losing Olivier Giroud. He looks out against Liverpool on Friday. It doesn’t look good. ‘When you hear him, the pain is quite big. A hamstring injury is normally 21 days, so it looks like he is out for Christmas. ‘What is very worrying in my job is when you start to lose players. You can’t then afford to lose another one or another one. ‘I have to look at how I manage the schedule. It puts more pressure on the rest of the squad. But I still have Theo Walcott, Danny Welbeck and Alexis Sanchez who can play up front.’ In a further blow, Francis Coquelin limped off with another hamstring problem, but Wenger is hopeful the midfielder will be available to face Liverpool at the Emirates. Of his team’s 1-0 victory, Wenger said: ‘I felt we played with quality, spirit and pace. Over the 90 minutes we looked very solid defensively. We were tested but not in danger. We were less creative in the second half and it was down to not making a mistake. ‘It was intense, they defended very well and didn’t want to give us any space. In the first half we were patient and created some dangerous situations. In second half we lost pace in our game.’ West Ham’s Manuel Lanzini missed the game after his appeal against a retrospective diving charge was rejected by the FA. The West Ham star will also miss Saturday’s Premier League match against Newcastle. Last night’s quarter-final was marred by ugly clashes between supporters after the final whistle. Fans had to be separated by stewards as the night threatened to turn violent. Both sets of supporters launched plastic bottles at each other, though police and stewards ensured the trouble did not escalate.