GIROUD’S LATE SAVER
French striker to the rescue at proud Preston
STAND-IN captain Olivier Giroud put the seal on a spirited Arsenal comeback last night as FA Cup specialist Arsene Wenger maintained his record of never having lost a third-round tie.
Championship side Preston had given their illustrious visitors a major scare by taking an early lead through Callum Robinson and they went close to adding a second on several occasions.
But Ramsey levelled in the opening minute of the second half by beating two defenders and rifling in an unstoppable shot from the edge of the box.
Then, with Danny Welbeck on the field for his long-awaited comeback, Giroud — wearing the armband in Laurent Koscielny’s absence — struck for the fourth game in a row from close range as Preston wilted.
Wenger has won the FA Cup six times, and in two of the last three seasons, and even without a battery of injured players he was able to name a strong team against a club 11th in the second tier.
Contract rebels Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil were given the night off while Santi Cazorla, Koscielny, Francis Coquelin and others were on the treatment table. But Giroud was in alongside 2014 Cup final match winner Ramsey and 19-year-old rookie right back Ainsley Maitland-Niles. On the bench, there was the welcome sight of Welbeck who had not played all season because of knee ligament damage.
As for the underdogs, Simon Grayson’s side are a more modest collection than ‘Proud Preston’ who won the double in the 19th century and later boasted Tom Finney. Their most recognisable face last night was Republic of Ireland international Aiden McGeady.
A hint of fog hung over the famous old stadium giving it a mystical air ripe for a giantkilling. And after seven minutes, the atmosphere went up a notch when Callum Robinson exploited hesitation in Arsenal’s back four to drive low past understudy goalkeeper David Ospina.
McGeady instigated the move with a lovely dragback and pass to Jordan Hugill. The Preston player could not keep it under control but Robinson anticipated the break of the ball better than anyone in the Gunners defence.
The 21-year-old turned down a contract at Aston Villa last summer to join Preston and the way he celebrated by kissing the camera indicated he was happy with his choice.
Giroud’s leadership came under the spotlight, but it is not his style to react to adversity by grabbing team-mates by the throat, as Tony Adams might have done.
Indeed, Preston continued to carry the greater threat, even if Arsenal saw a lot of the ball, and Robinson’s pace gave MaitlandNiles nightmares down the Arsenal right.
Midway through the half, Wenger was indebted to Shkodran Mustafi for blocking a Robinson header which would have made it 2-0. Preston went even closer on 25 minutes when Robinson, switching flanks, fired in a cross from the byline that Hugill somehow failed to convert on the slide. Arsenal’s jitters spread to Ospina, who made a hash of saving a Ben Pearson header before gathering at the second attempt.
McGeady’s cross was then volleyed wide by Marnick Vermijl as the Gunners creaked.
Belatedly, Arsenal found some of their usual attacking flow but they too often overplayed in front of goal. Ramsey wanted too many touches when well set and Giroud also hesitated. And they nearly paid the price when Paul Gallagher bravely lobbed Ospina as the goalkeeper rushed out to meet him. Mustafi saved Arsenal by racing back to clear off the line.
The Championship side thought they had scored a second goal through Robinson until referee Robert Madley signalled rightly for a foul by Paul Huntington on Ospina.
And Arsenal were left feeling even sorrier for themselves when Gabriel ended the half bloodied after being caught in the face by Hugill’s arm.
Perhaps Wenger broke with his normal reserve and tore into his players at the interval because their response was immediate.
Within 52 seconds, the Londoners were level. The previously anonymous Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain burst down the left with intent and, when his cross was only halfcleared, Alex Iwobi laid off the ball and Ramsey struck with unerring accuracy from 12 yards.
It was the Welshman’s first goal since scoring for his country against Russia at Euro 2016, since when he has suffered something of a slump in form.
Buoyed by the goal, Arsenal at last looked like a Premier League side playing lowerdivision opposition. Huntington almost scored an own goal but Chris Maxwell saved his misdirected header, while Granit Xhaka’s first touch let him down when the ball broke to him on the edge of the area.
Mustafi then hit a superb first-time shot from a corner which needed an outstanding reflex stop by Maxwell, who palmed the ball up before catching it.
Grayson sent on 6ft 7in loan striker Simon Makienok to try to stem the Arsenal tide, but it did not work. Giroud hooked a shot into the net on 77 minutes and look horrified to be flagged offside, but the assistant referee had got it right.
Arsenal then won it as Preston tired. Lucas Perez found Giroud with a clever backheel in the box and the Frenchman, who scored a contender for goal of the season with a scorpion kick against Crystal Palace, did not need to do anything so special this time as his deflected shot won the tie.