Arsenal vs. West Brom: Score and Reaction from 2016 Premier League Match

Arsenal halted their two-match losing streak in the Premier League on Boxing Day, beating West Bromwich Albion 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a late goal from Olivier Giroud.

West Brom closed up shop during the first half, limiting the Gunners to a few minor looks on goal. The match opened up slightly after the break, but the Baggies stood their ground until Giroud struck with a late header.

As the Gunners shared on their official Twitter account, manager Arsene Wenger opted to play Giroud in attack, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain missing out due to injury:

Predictably, Arsenal saw much of the ball early on, with the Baggies sitting back and aiming for the counter-attack. Granit Xhaka and Francis Coquelin were involved, and the former threatened with a driving shot that flew high of the mark.

Giroud and Alexis Sanchez put together a clever combination on the edge of the box, but the Frenchman failed to pick out the Chilean with his final pass. Sanchez caused chaos in the box whenever he got on the ball, but chances were rare.

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West Brom mostly threatened through set pieces, but Chris Brunt's deliveries weren't on point. When one of his corner kicks fell into a dangerous area, Petr Cech was there to deal with the pressure.

Before long, the Emirates Stadium started to grow restless, as the Gunners failed to create much. John Cross of the Daily Mirror was not entertained:

Ben Foster made a routine stop to deny Sanchez, and Alex Iwobi fired a shot high and wide after a strong run. West Brom sat deep, limiting the space beautifully, and the Gunners had no answers for most of the half.

When Arsenal found space, Iwobi was unlucky not to get a shot off in time, taking too long on the ball and allowing Jonny Evans to close the distance and make a block. Giroud became the first man booked for a tug on Evans, and his frustration summed up the first half from the hosts' perspective.

At half-time, Gunners blogger Le Grove thought Wenger's decision to start Coquelin was a mistake:

The second half started the way the first ended, with Arsenal dominating possession but finding little space. Iwobi and Sanchez both had strong shooting chances, but Foster came to the visitors' rescue twice.

Sanchez perhaps should have given the Gunners the lead from the resulting corner, but the former Barcelona star found the post. Bleacher Report's Sean Swaby started getting anxious:

West Brom started to crack under the pressure, and Foster had to be at his best to prevent an Arsenal goal. The stopper made an athletic dive to parry a great shot from Sanchez before denying Giroud with a foot save.

Kieran Gibbs stayed down after a collision with Claudio Yacob, an incident for which he was also booked. The Baggies man had a golden opportunity to give his team a shock lead shortly after, firing a shot wildly over the bar after a corner.

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Substitute Lucas Perez almost played in Giroud, with Foster making a last-second intervention to keep the France international from the ball. 

With time running out, it was Giroud who emerged the hero with a lovely looping header after a cross from Mesut Ozil. Bleacher Report's James McNicholas thought it was fitting:

Aaron Ramsey nearly made it 2-0, drawing yet another fine stop from Foster, and the Gunners applied plenty of late pressure to keep the Baggies away from goal. Hector Bellerin stung Foster's gloves, and the visitors ran out of time to mount a late rally of their own.

Per Arsenal's official Twitter account, Wenger showered Giroud with praise after the final whistle:

Arsenal's next outing will be on January 1 against Crystal Palace, while West Brom visit Southampton the day before.