Giroud nets stunner in Arsenal win

Olivier Giroud scored a brilliant scorpion kick, as Arsenal beat Crystal Palace 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium on New Year's Day.

The 30-year-old, who joined the Gunners from Montpellier in June 2012, has now scored 62 goals in 147 Premier League appearances for Arsenal, but surely none better than the 17th-minute opener against Sam Allardyce's side.

There were similarities to Henrikh Mkhitaryan's goal for Manchester United against Sunderland on St Stephen's Day, as the France striker hooked an Alexis Sanchez cross from the left over his shoulder, beyond Eagles' goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey and in off the underside off the crossbar, for his sixth goal in his last four league starts.

But this one was arguably even better - Arsenal brought the ball out of defence, Giroud backheeled the ball to Granit Xhaka, then ran 50 yards to get into the Palace area and on the end of Sanchez's cross.

By contrast, Arsenal's second goal was a sloppy mess, as Palace defender Scott Dann made a hash of clearing Nacho Monreal's cross to the near post, allowing Alex Iwobi to loop a header over Hennessey and the desperate attempts of James Tomkins and Joel Ward on the goalline.

The three points lift Arsenal back above north London rivals Tottenham, emphatic 4-1 winners at Watford earlier in the day, into third place in the Premier League table.

The Gunners, who lie nine points behind runaway leaders Chelsea at the midway point of the season, travel to the South Coast to take on Bournemouth on Tuesday, while 17th-placed Palace host bottom-of-the-table Swansea at Selhurst Park the same evening.

Photo (Getty Images/ Shaun Botterill)

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