Olivier Giroud's goals against Middlesbrough sent Arsenal through to the FA Cup quarter-finals

Published: 17 February, 2015
by TOM FOOT

ARSENE Wenger’s words of caution after his side’s FA Cup triumph over Middlesbrough rang true last night (Monday) after the Gunners were dealt a tough quarter-final tie at Old Trafford.

The Arsenal boss had called on fans not to get ahead of themselves after the Gunners were named favourites to retain the trophy.

Arsenal have now dropped to third favourites after the draw pitched them away to Manchester United on March 7 or 8. Liverpool host Blackburn at Anfield, while giant-killers Bradford drew Reading and West Brom travel to Aston Villa. 

Wenger will be hoping Olivier Giroud can carry his good form into the tie after the Arsenal striker scored a brace against Middlesbrough with two well-taken goals. 

After Sunday’s match at the Emirates, he said: “Giroud is today a different player to the one who arrived here – for two reasons. He understands what top-level football demands. He works with a great concentration in training and he has improved his training and technical quality. His body is very strong, and he uses it very well.”

Giroud said in TV interviews that he had “won a battle against himself”, implying that his mind had been preventing him from reaching his potential, and that Wenger had made him step “outside his comfort zone”.

While the goals were scored by Giroud, the man of the match was Santi Cazorla who put in another spell-binding performance with the captain’s armband. The Spaniard took control of the game from central midfield, delighting the home crowd with his tight ball control, probing runs and clever passes.

It was his vision that found Kieron Gibbs storming into the Middlesbrough box to set up the opener for Giroud on 27 minutes. Two minutes later, his corner found Giroud after the Frenchman was quickest to react from close range. The defending was poor but Giroud caught the corner sweetly with a swivelling volley. 

The tie also gave Wenger a chance to give new signing Gabriel a start, partnering Laurent Koscielny in central defence.

Wenger added: “It was interesting to observe Gabriel today as he played in a game we had to win. He had important qualities: great urgency to defend and good pace, especially on the recovery tackle. He played a little with the handbreak because you could feel he didn’t want to make a mistake.”