The only outfield Arsenal player who can walk out of Old Trafford with his head held high is Olivier Giroud. The Frenchman found himself on the bench on Saturday, watching Alexis playing down the middle.
That decision by Wenger didn’t pay off, as they managed zero attempts at goal up until the late equalizer. Luckily, Olivier’s towering saved them from another defeat, though their winless run at Old Trafford remains intact.
Giroud did put an end to one record, a six-year streak that has long been haunting Arsene Wenger. The 30-year-old became the first player since Gilberto Silva to score a league goal for the north London outfit against a club managed by Jose Mourinho.
Olivier Giroud: Is the first Arsenal player to score a league goal against a Jose Mourinho side since Gilberto Silva in May 2007 #MUNARS
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) November 19, 2016
To find the last goal Jose conceded against Arsenal in the English top-flight, one must go back to May 2007. Of course, one should not forget that the Special One was not present in the Premier League from 2007 to 2013.
Regardless, Giroud will be happy with his and not only because of the manner and game in which he scored it, but because it may force Wenger into rethinking using the striker as a super-sub.
