GIROUD'S LATE GOAL SEALS ARSENAL COMEBACK

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.

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 11^th 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