Olivier Giroud Earns Arsenal Redemption in Premier League Win over Everton

Olivier Giroud scored against Everton to begin banishing the demons that have haunted him since his nightmare outing against Monaco in the Champions League.

On a difficult afternoon for Arsenal, the Frenchman went some way toward atoning for his midweek profligacy with a vital first-half strike. Until that moment, the Gunners were unable to find a foothold in the game.

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In the first half, Arsenal struggled to find any rhythm. There was a clear hangover after their Monaco misery, despite several changes intended to freshen up the side.

Per Mertesacker was unceremoniously dropped from the XI after a disappointing performance against Monaco. In his stead, Gabriel Paulista made his first league start for the Gunners.

If Gabriel was unfamiliar with the perilous pace of the Premier League, he was given an immediate warning when Romelu Lukaku beat him to the ball before charging in on goal. Fortunately, David Ospina did well to spare his fellow South American's blushes.

Gabriel settled into things as the game went on, redeeming himself with two outstanding sliding channels to prevent the Toffees from landing Arsenal in a sticky situation.

Redemption was a bit of a recurring theme on the day. Although Wenger was merciless with Mertesacker, several individuals who underperformed against Monaco were given a chance to achieve absolution.

No-one was more determined to put things right than Giroud. After a succession of shocking misses against Monaco, he had been substituted to protect his performance from spiralling even further in to awfulness. You felt the first chance would be critical, so it was a concern when he headed an Alexis Sanchez cross wide with the goal wide open.

However, he didn’t give up. One of Giroud’s strongest attributes is his movement, and he continued to make runs to put himself in dangerous areas. Lesser players might have been lost, and lesser men might have hid. Instead, the Frenchman helped Arsenal in to the lead when his dart to the near post saw him meet Mesut Ozil’s corner with a smartly executed volley.

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The relief was palpable, and from that point on Giroud’s all-round game underwent a marked improvement. 

He was not the only Arsenal player whose performance was significantly superior to the one produced in the Champions League. Ospina followed up his early intervention against Lukaku with a string of vital saves to keep Everton at bay. Prior to the match, Ospina’s No. 1 spot had been a subject of legitimate debate. He emerges from this match with great credit and a more secure grasp on a first-team place.

The pain of the Monaco loss won’t be undone by one game, especially if Arsenal fail to overturn the deficit in the second leg. However, the importance of Giroud getting back on the scoresheet cannot be overestimated. On Wednesday, Arsenal’s key goalscorer looked a broken man. The process of rebuilding his confidence is now firmly underway.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout the 2014-15 season. Follow him on Twitter here.