The goal was Arsenal's only attempt on goal the entire match.
The first half was a cagey affair with United having slightly more of the play than Arsenal, who were not able to create any meaningful chances on goal.
United had a number of moments when they looked dangerous, a couple of which came from sloppy Arsenal passes, and they forced several good saves from Petr Cech. United were most incensed that referee Andre Marriner denied them a penalty, following a Monreal tussle with Valencia.
In the second half United started to take greater control and Arsenal appeared lethargic and were unable to maintain possession for very long. Midway through the second half Anders Herrera broke through a slow looking Arsenal defence, found Juan Mata, who shot the ball past Cech and put United in front.
United had further chances, but Rojo's poor header and a key Mustafi block kept Arsenal in the match. Arsenal finally produced their goal, courtesy of a fine run and cross from Oxlade-Chamberlain, which Giroud headed powerfully home past de Gea.
The game ended in a chippy way, but Arsenal can count themselves lucky they stole a point from an anemic and tired performance.
Player Ratings:
Cech 7: He made several good saves in the first half, particularly his save from Juan Mata. He had to be on his toes a number of times in the second half, but there were few direct shots on goal. Had little chance stopping the Mata goal.
Jenkinson 5 : He looked vulnerable, but United were unable to exploit this advantage. Was outmuscled in the air several times as well. When he managed to get forward, his crosses were low and never found an Arsenal player.
Mustafi 6: He made one key block in the second half and for the most part he managed to stop United's forwards.
Koscielny 7: Looked the most competent defender on the day, mopping up a number of times when others failed.
Monreal 5: In the first half he had an incident with Valencia, who went down in the box. The referee saw it as a dive and so did I. That said, Nacho had a tough day as United targeted him. He looked (along with the whole defence) slow to respond when United's attack led to their goal.
Coquelin 6: A sloppy pass put Arsenal in trouble in the first half. He worked hard, but lacked any offensive spark to help the team.
Elneny 5: Like Coquelin, a poor pass put us in some trouble early in the match. Elneny offered little going forward and the pace of his passes was too slow much of the time.
Ozil 5 : Drifted in and out of the game, but he was largely anonymous and was unable to make any kind of impact. He didn't look like a player who had time off from playing for Germany. Most of his corners were not that good.
Walcott 6: Largely ineffective for most of the game. He did make one good move down the wing, but his cross was turned out for a corner.
Sanchez 7: He was our most productive player in the first half, displaying a number of nifty turns and moves, but no end product. Too often he had to drop out of position to get the ball. He did have one good chance when he headed from close range, but he missed the goal. In the second half things continued as they had in the first. Was yellow carded.
Ramsey 5: Made a number of forward runs in the first half, but nobody was able to thread the ball to him. He worked hard, made a couple of poor passes, and dropped back a little when substitutions were made.
Substitutions:
Giroud 7: Man of the match. His header was one of his few touches during the game, but he got it right and he delivered when he had to. You can't ask more than that.
Oxlade-Chamberlain 7: Sent in to cover Jenkinson at right back and he too delivered with a fine burst of speed and a gorgeous cross. A key assist.
Xhaka n/a: Not on for long, but managed to pick up a yellow card for a handball.