Despite dominating possession, it was lowly Norwich which claimed the best chances of the match until Arsenal’s lone goal.
Nathan Redmond had three good chances during the match, however Petr Cech managed to save them all, earning his second straight clean sheet.
Arsenal failed to test John Ruddy until the second half, but when they finally did, they scored. Giroud nooded down a Bellerin cross directly into the path of substitute Danny Welbeck, who smashed it home.
Ruddy would make a late outstanding save from Elneny, allowing Norwich to keep Arsenal nervous until the final whistle.
The game saw Arsenal protesters vent their frustration with Arsene Wenger, although there were also pro Wenger fans who made themselves heard.
Arsenal now hope that Real Madrid soften City up for next week’s encounter.
Player Ratings:
Cech 8: Back to his best. He made several outstanding saves against Redmond and he came out of the box on one occasion and showed some decent footwork.
Bellerin 7: Involved in the buildup of the goal with a nice cross to Giroud. Looked dangerous most of the day on the flank, but his crossing was sometimes disappointing.
Mertesacker 7: Decent match, but did in his hamstring early in the second half. The last time we see him as a Gunner?
Koscielny 7: He was steady most of the match.
Monreal 6: He had his hands full dealing with Redmond and made a couple of mistakes allowing him to get space and a shot. His attacking was a little muted. He’s getting no sympathy from referee’s either these days, as he seldom gets calls when he’s fouled.
Elneny 7: Helped to dominate the midfield as he won the ball back a number of times. He’s not shy about shooting and his outstanding half volley was well saved by Ruddy.
Ramsey 6: He was busy but not very effective on the offensive. He played in a more advanced position at the end when Coquelin came in, but only for about ten minutes.
Ozil 7: He had some magical moments, especially that pass he made on the break in the second half to Sanchez. However, he plays like the surgeon looking to make an incision, but not knowing where to cut.
Iwobi 6: He had an early chance that he played across the goal, but nobody was there. He had some decent touches, but Wenger decided he wasn’t making a difference and substituted him (to some boo’s). In this case, Wenger was right.
Giroud 6: Largely came out second best to Bassong throughout the afternoon. He had an early shot which Bassong blocked and then had very little impact on the match, until he set up Welbeck’s goal with a lovely header. His match could be summed up by the break near the end when he incorrectly perceived himself offside and didn’t attempt to take the pass which would have set him up.
Sanchez 7: Tend to drop deeper in order to get more ball, but these are not always the most advantageous places for him to ply his trade. He had some wonderful moments beating opponents, but there was no end product. Exited the field when substituted by marching down the tunnel. A “come and get me” plea to Bayern Munich?
Substitutes:
Gabriel 7: Played most of the second half and was solid. Made a key sliding tackle in the box near the end of the match.
Welbeck 8: Scored the only goal with a well taken shot off Giroud’s header. He looked lively and had a couple of decent opportunities, which almost resulted in goals.
Coquelin n/a: Wasn’t on long enough to make much of an impact.