By Matty Sadler
December 26 2016
Looked like it was going to be a frustrating 0-0 before Giroud headed in an excellent winner. A much needed win, but we look nowhere near a genuine title challenger.
Cech - 6. Dealt with a couple of corners/ crosses into the box, flapped at one corner.
Bellerin - 6. Little to do defensively but always involved going forward. Missed a good header but crossing needs to be better.
Gabriel - 7. One shaky moment in the first half but otherwise played well.
Koscielny - 7. Solid.
Gibbs - 6. Was involved going forward before going off injured.
Xhaka - 7. Did well aside from some wasteful long range shots in both halves.
Coquelin - 6. Not bad but needed more going forward as we struggled to break down a strong defence.
Iwobi - 6. Decent first half but was a bit hit-and-miss in the second half before going off.
Ozil - 7. Improvement on the previous two games. Got better as the game went on. Excellent cross for Giroud's winner.
Alexis - 8. Excellent for about an hour or so, but a bit quieter towards the end.
Giroud - 7. Quiet spells but did a decent job making a nuisance of himself. Scored the crucial winner, but a couple of petty fouls though (Personaly he is my MotM. No one else can close to scoring and it was a fantastic header. Editor). Looked like it was going to be a frustrating 0-0 before Giroud headed in an excellent winner.
Subs:
Monreal - 6. Slotted in seamlessly.
Lucas - 6. Positive impact off the bench.
Ramsey - 5. Good forward runs but missed a good chance to seal it.