PRESTON NORTH END 1
ARSENAL 2
By Ricky Butler at
Deepdale
ANOTHER LATE GOAL
FROM OLIVIER GIROUD COMPLETED A DRAMATIC SECOND HALF ARSENAL COMEBACK
AT DEEPDALE LAST NIGHT TO BREAK PRESTON NORTH END HEARTS.
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| Olivier Giroud celebrates another late goal at Deepdale last night |
After dominating the
first half, Simon Grayson's Championship side, ahead through Callum
Robinson's early goal, were left to rue a succession of missed
opportunities as the Gunners finally turned the tie around.
Aaron Ramsey's
equaliser right at the start of the second half, his first goal of
the season, kick started a much improved Arsenal performance,
although they once again left it late.
There was just a minute
of normal time remaining when Giroud, scorer of a stoppage time
equaliser in midweek at Bournemouth, finished from close range after
a lovely back heel from Lucas Perez.
Preston manager,
Grayson, was rightly proud of his team. He said: “We
have got mixed emotions tonight. I am very proud of how hard they
worked and the quality against a top, top team.
“We
will draw the positives as much as possible and hopefully in the
future we will be on the end of a victory, not a defeat.
"We
stopped them playing and got on the front foot. We just didn't quite
take the opportunities when they came. We have had good chances, but
you need a second or third goal against a team like Arsenal.
"We
warned the players to start the game quickly in the second half but
we let Ramsey have room that we didn't in the first half. It was a
kick in the teeth when the goal went in at the end."
Arsenal boss, Arsene Wenger, on the
other hand, was just relieved to have seen off the potential banana skin.
He said: “Someone
reminded me yesterday that I have never been out in the third round
in 21 years, but tonight, in the first half, it was close. Preston
played with enthusiasm and quality in the first half, they were
quicker than us all over.
"Maybe
subconsciously we thought that it would be easier and at half-time we
knew we could have been out.
"I
believe that we have a togetherness and fighting spirit and that is
why we have these comebacks. It was a typical cup tie with English
enthusiasm and the crowd cheering on their team."
Wenger, a winner of
this famous old trophy a record six times, selected a strong side
even in the absence of Petr Cech, Laurent Koscielny, Mesut Ozil, Theo
Walcott and Alexis Sanchez. But it was the Lilywhites, sitting 11th
in the Championship, who should have had the tie wrapped up in a
stunning first half display.
Boosted by Robinson's early
goal, created by a lovely pirouette from Aiden McGeady, Preston could
have been three or four up by the break. Robinson saw a close range
header blocked by Skrodran Mustafi, while Darren Hugill was just
millimetres away from turning into an empty net Robinson's low cross.
Arsenal perhaps began
to feel it may be their night after all when just before half time
Robinson had a goal disallowed following minimal contact from Paul
Huntington on David Ospina.
Indeed it took Wenger's
men just 50 seconds after the restart to draw level. Alex Iwobi,
playing in Ozil's No. 10 role, did well on the edge of the penalty
area before teeing up Ramsey to drill home from 18 yards; the
Welshman's first goal since last summer's Euros.
That proved to be the
turning point as Arsenal dominated the second half. Giroud had a goal
rightly disallowed for offside, before Mustafi brought a fine save
Preston goalkeeper, Chris Maxwell, following Alex
Oxlade-Chamberlain's low corner.
With a replay looking
more and more likely, Wenger threw on Danny Welbeck for his first
appearance since a serious knee injury last May, although it was the
front two who started the game that combined for the late winner.
Giroud, captain for the
day in the absence of Koscielny, flicked on a long ball and Perez was
first to react. His back heel from right on the goal-line was sublime and the Frenchman, a scorer
in the last three matches, just managed to squeeze the ball past
Maxwell at the near post via a slight deflection off substitute, Aaron Browne.
So in the battle of the
Invincibles it was Arsenal
who survived to fight another FA Cup day. But Preston can take a lot
of positives from this performance as they bid to get back among the
elite for the first time since 1961.
PRESTON NORTH END: Maxwell, Vermijl, Clarke, Huntington, Cunningham, Gallagher, Pearson, Johnson, McGeady, Hugill, Robinson. SUBS: Browne, Makienok, Horgan.
ARSENAL: Ospina, Maitland-Niles, Garbiel, Mustafi, Xhaka, Ramsey, Iwobi, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Perez, Giroud. SUBS: Welbeck, Holding, Reine-Adelaide.
REFEREE: Robert Madeley
ATTENDANCE: 22,185
