Walcott, Giroud set up Arsenal plunder of Stoke City

London

--

With the subject of scoring a sore one lately as Arsenal clocked up goal-shy home games, failed to buy any glorious predators, and then lost Danny Welbeck to the injury black hole for months, Arsène Wenger watched Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud do the business.

Whether either (or both) can lead a Premier League title challenge remains head-scratchingly central to the Arsenal narrative these days. But they did what was needed against an uninspiring Stoke.

Both forwards endured the odd excruciating miss, yet persevered to finish off in the contrasting styles that makes the either/or such a bewildering question. Walcott’s goal was all about profiting from a pacy move. Giroud’s was a show of aerial strength from a set piece. Fuse them together and Arsenal might just have Wenger’s ideal for a leading man up front, but in the current formation he tends to choose one or the other. Decisions, decisions ...

With the team desperate to get back to scoring ways, he was certainly involved early on, with two fine chances falling his way in the first eight minutes as Arsenal tore into Stoke with serious intent. The first chance, a rebound screwed wide after Alexis Sánchez’s header was clawed on to the post, was not one for the scrapbook. The second, invited by Héctor Bellerín’s tantalising cross, was steered over.

Stoke looked utterly bamboozled early on. Sánchez was in the shooting mood, and it was only the excellence of Jack Butland that denied the Chilean the chance to add his name to the scoresheet. The Stoke goalkeeper was also in fine form to repel Laurent Koscielny and Santi Cazorla as shots assailed him from all angles.

Arsenal’s moment arrived in the 31st minute. Mesut Özil picked up the ball and suddenly Wenger’s team were all about pace: Özil’s lobbed pass moved the ball forward quickly and Walcott showed the strength to hold off Marc Muniesa before jabbing in the opening goal.

In its execution it vindicated the logic behind Wenger’s choice of Walcott over Giroud. “I knew we would face Stoke who are a compact and organised team and Theo could find little pockets to get in there,” said the Frenchman.

Stoke, whose only meaningful chance in the opening half saw Petr Cech parry from Joselu, were flattered by a scoreline of only 1-0 by halftime.

Giroud was bought on for the last 15 minutes and his first touch of the ball was to drag horribly wide when presented with a one on one by some equally horrible Stoke defending. But, like Walcott, he kept at it and was rewarded with the goal that made the points safe. After he finished off a corner with a neat near-post header to end a difficult week, his relief was palpable.