RETURN OF THE PRODIGALS
IT SEEMED the celebrations were just that little bit more intense and personal for Olivier Giroud.
The Frenchman has been out of favour of late. Arsene Wenger insists that he merely needed a break. However, his demotion to the bench coincided with newspaper stories that he had allegedly invited a female companion to join him in the team hotel before games.
And even when he did start at Stoke City last week, he hardly impressed. So there was a sense that Giroud’s absence from the starting line-up was a pointed omission; that he had some ground to make up.
Whatever the truth, there was an air of redemption at the Emirates yesterday. Arsenal’s season has been saved for a month, at least, with an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley booked, their first for five years. And Giroud is surely now back in the fold.
‘He was important because he was at the end of things and it shows that the player comes off the bench with the quality that he can make the difference,’ said Wenger, who seemed bemused when it was suggested that he might have been dropped for breaching club rules.
‘He was on the bench. For what reason? He has played many games. In the rest of the games, he came on and has shown that he can score goals when he comes on.’
It was undeniable that Arsenal did look considerably better once Giroud came on for Yaya Sanogo on 63 minutes and provided a more mobile attacking focus.
But Giroud was not the man who won the game for Arsenal. That honour belonged to Alex OxladeChamberlain, whose energy and verve mean he is surely assured of a World Cup berth with England, and the cool nerve of Mikel Arteta.
For at 1-1, Arsenal looked a little like the nervous, frightened team that have collapsed in February and March in previous years. Though the title remains a possibility, everyone at the club knows that the near nine-year gap without silverware is most likely to be ended in the FA Cup. It explained the intensity of the occasion.
Everton had fallen behind to an eighth-minute goal, when Santi Cazorla robbed James McCarthy and played in Mesut Ozil to finish, his first goal for three months. Indeed, the visitors were on the receiving end of a vastly-improved performance from the German, a fact acknowledged by Wenger.
‘What I like is that, physically, he looked regenerated, having more power in his runs,’ said the Frenchman. ‘And he did a lot of dirty work for a player like him. He tracked back in the first half on the counterattack — and when he behaves like that you have, of course, a better chance to win the game.’
However, Everton had played their way back into the game. Indeed, Ross Barkley, who could not get on the pitch for England against Denmark in midweek, was doing his best to convince the nation he, too, should be travelling to Brazil with Roy Hodgson’s squad this summer.
When Everton equalised on 33 minutes, it was due to a superb run by Barkley, from deep inside his own half, where his pace on the ball left Mathieu Flamini standing and split Arsenal apart. His cross found the unmarked Kevin Mirallas, whose pull-back was controlled on the knee by Romelu Lukaku, who prodded home from two yards out.
Everton were suddenly on the front foot, enjoying plenty of possession. When Lukaku chased down Thomas Vermaelen on 55 minutes Giroud and Ozil are backonform and back inthe goals asWenger’s hungrytroops see off Everton challengeto book semi-finalspot then squared for Barkley, it seemed as though the 20-year-old would cap a fine display with a goal but instead he lifted the ball over the bar.
‘We made it a very uncomfortable game for Arsenal,’ said Roberto Martinez. ‘We had a very good chance and nine times out of 10 Ross would hit the target.
‘He is one of the best footballers in this league, technically, to take advantage of that. He was a real threat, especially on the counterattack. He looked powerful and fresh again after his injury. Overall, his contribution was very good and back to his normal self.’
But it was the attitude of OxladeChamberlain, chasing down a ball in the box, which eventually provided the breakthrough, tempting Gareth Barry into an injudicious challenge that felled the England winger.
From the penalty spot, Arteta converted, only to be told to re-take because Giroud had encroached into the area. Second time around, he went to the left of Joel Robles and hit the top of the net
‘I was honestly very worried and very relieved after the re-take,’ said Wenger. ‘You have to give credit to Arteta, because if he hadn’t taken the second one well, the keeper had gone the right way.’
Freed from fear, Arsenal were unleashed. On 83 minutes, Tomas Rosicky fed Bacary Sagna, whose pull-back saw Giroud almost crouching to steer the ball cleverly past Robles. And on 85 minutes came one of those sweeping counter-attacks for which Arsenal are famed. Rosicky burst down the left, fed Ozil, who found a sublime touch to play in Giroud, who finished emphatically.
They celebrated as though the prodigal son had returned.