Arsenal vs West Brom match report: Olivier Giroud header secures late victory for Gunners to end frustration

Olivier Giroud celebrated his first Premier League start of the season with a late winner for Arsenal just as they looked certain to slip even further off the pace at the top of the table.

Arsene Wenger's men were four minutes from adding frustration at the hands of West Bromwich Albion to the disappointment and recriminations they endured in defeats by Manchester City and Everton in their previous two matches until Giroud's header looped over Albion's previously unbeatable goalkeeper Ben Foster and in.

Albion manager Tony Pulis had sent his team out to defend and hit on the break, a similar task to the one that almost succeeded at Chelsea in their previous away match. Diego Costa bullied his way to a goal for the league leaders in that match, and just when it seemed Arsenal had no-one like Costa to intimidate Pulis's battlers, Giroud muscled Gareth McAuley aside to get his head to Mezut Özil's cross.

Özil was heavily criticised for failing to press and attempt to win back possession in both games, and video clips highlighted him playing at virtual walking pace against City. Wenger had defended the German, saying “his body language goes a bit against him sometimes” and here he had his reward for his faith.

In truth, it seemed that Arsenal would fall short. For long periods, Albion – as at Chelsea – deployed what was effectively a six-man defence, and again their wingers, Chris Brunt and Matt Phillips, could have been mistaken for fullbacks as they dropped deep at the slightest hint of danger.

That put the onus on Arsenal to find a way round, through or over the Albion ranks but too often the story was of shots blocked or intricate passing moves foundering as the slightest inaccuracy fell foul of defensive numbers. Özil had a shot charged down, Giroud sent a curling effort high and wide, and Alex Iwobi and Giroud's attempted exchange of passes at speed was interrupted by Claudio Yacob's interception. Even extra bodies adding weight did not work as a cross eluded Granit Xhaka's late run into the six-yard area.

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Arsenal raised their level at the start of the second half and Foster saved from Iwobi's volley and then Alexis Sanchez' attempt to follow up at the expense of a corner. The flag kick reached Sanchez again and he dribbled around a knot of defenders only to hit his final shot against the upright. His next effort was a rising drive that demanded a fingertip save from the now overworked goalkeeper, whose next feat was to block Giroud's low cross-shot with an outstretched leg.

The fans' fears that Albion might somehow grab a goal on the break were almost realised after Salomon Rondon's charge down the left won the first of a series of corners. From the last, the ball dropped out of Petr Cech's fingers to the feet of Yacob, but his first-time effort cleared the crossbar by several feet.

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Arsenal went back onto the attack, but seemed likely to fall short as Giroud failed to make contact with a low cross from Lucas Perez and Hector Bellerin headed too high when unmarked. But then Özil crossed from the right and Giroud was there to win the header and the match. And late substitute Aaron Ramsey, returning from a hamstring injury almost made it 2-0 when he ran onto Sanchez' header only to hit his shot against Foster's legs.

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Cech; Bellerin, Gabriel, Koscielny, Gibbs (Monreal 72); Coquelin (Ramsey 73), Xhaka; Iwobi (Perez 72), Ozil, Sanchez; Giroud. Substitutes not used: Ospina, Holding, Reine-Adelaide, Elneney.

West Bromwich Albion (4-5-1): Foster; Dawson, McAuley, Evans, Nyom; Brunt, Fletcher, Yacob, Chadli (McClean 62), Phillips; Rondon (Robson-Kanu 80). Substitutes not used: Myhill, Olsson, Morrison, Gardner, Galloway.

Referee: N Swarbrick.