Another Clean Sheet and Win Against Crystal Palace

“I’m glad we entered 2017 in the best manner possible. We needed to get back onto a winning wave and now we’ve managed to do so: two home games, two wins and two clean sheets. Now we just need to keep it going. We’ve got 48 hours of rest now, playing again on Tuesday,” said Petr, already referring to the next Premier League match against Bournemouth.

Giroud’s strike? Goal of the year

Giroud took the lead for Arsenal in the 17th minute by heeling the ball over his head. “It’s only the first day of 2017 and this goal will definitely be one of potential Premier League Goals of the Year. It truly was a unique and fantastic goal. You could also tell that this was exactly what Olivier was planning to do – rather than being hit by the ball by accident. Of course you need a bit of luck with goals like this, but that doesn’t change the fact it was amazing and really important. We were then able to control the game a lot more efficiently,” Petr expressed praise for his French teammate.

Iwobi added the second goal with a header after the interval. “This boosted our confidence further. There were other opportunities, as well, but we weren’t able to score another one. We can still be content, though, since we played really well, particularly as far as possession is concerned. Passing was good, too,” stated Petr.

He wasn’t overly busy himself, however he saved the team’s back several times shortly after the Gunners’ second goal around the 60th minute. Especially during the challenges by Benteke, Cabay and Townsend.

“They posed quite a threat from free kicks and have tall players. They seized one corner kick and all of a sudden they got in three shots during the course of two minutes. For me it was crucial to maintain my focus in the cold and rain; I didn’t have too much to do during the first half. I’m happy I was able to help the team towards a clean sheet. The team morale is always better if you’ve managed to keep one in the previous games. And I’m obviously glad to have retained a second clean sheet in a row, myself,” added Petr.

The Gunners are now third in the table. They are losing 9 points on leading Chelsea and a mere 3 points on Liverpool.