Arsenal 4-1 Sunderland: Giroud back on target as Ozil sits

 Goals:

Arsenal- Giroud 5′ 31′, Rosicky 42′, Koscielny 57′

Sunderland- Giaccherini 81′

Lineups:

Arsenal: Szczesny; Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny (Flamini, 62′), Monreal (Jenkinson, h-t); Arteta, Wilshere; Rosicky (Gnabry, 73′), Cazorla, Podolski; Giroud.

Sunderland: Mannone; Bardsley, Vergini, O’Shea, Alonso;  Bridcutt; Johnson (Larsson, h-t), Ki (Scocco, 73′), Colback, Borini; Altidore (Giacherini, h-t).

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Arsenal kept level with rivals Chelsea and Manchester City with a casual defeat over relegation-threatened Sunderland Saturday. On the day where Olivier Giroud saw his return to the lineup and Mesut Ozil was left out, the Gunners breezed past the helpless Black Cats.

Giroud, in his first game since the scandal of sneaking a French model into his hotel room earlier this month, slotted home two goals. Arsene Wenger insisted he was always in support of his frontman: “I had no hesitation about Olivier,” he said. “I wanted him to come back and be successful and he was.”

That Sunderland simply didn’t have the defensive wherewithal to repel Arsenal’s attack was the deciding factor, however.

The first Gunners featured great linkup play, and Jack Wilshere got into the heart of the box before having his shot blocked. The stretch of the Sunderland defence, however, saw the ball fall for Giroud in front of goal, and he made no mistake. 1-0 five minutes in.

Arsenal kept pressing, but it was the Black Cats who created for them. A series of painfully casual back passes saw fullback Phil Bardsley corner in his own half, and he foolishly drubbed a pass back towards his keeper Vito Mannone. Giroud was on to it, however, and sprinted to meet the ball and shoot through Mannone’s legs.

With the tension of Giroud’s return gone, Arsenal continued to attack. The result was a fatal blow before half-time; one of the goals of the season.

“We had a very demanding week physically and mentally and we gave the right response today,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. Tomas Rosicky collected the ball at the half-line and played two beautiful give-and-go passes into Wilshere and Giroud before breaking in on Mannone and chipping him masterfully. This was now the forty-second minute, and the match was over.

Arsenal increased that lead through a Laurent Koscielny header off a corner in the fifty-seventh, before Emanuele Giaccherini salvaged some pride for Sunderland by scoring a nice strike in the eighty-first.

In all, this was a great bounce back match for Arsenal, and sometimes it is key to play a weak opponent to gain back some important confidence. Wenger alluded to his team’s response post-match: “We had a very demanding week physically and mentally and we gave the right response today.