Olivier Giroud scored a brace in Arsenal’s 3-3 draw against Liverpool on Wednesday and Arsene Wenger hailed his performance post-match, which the boss described as a ‘physical battle’.

Giroud has now become renowned for his big match performances. So often you find a striker who’s decent against the teams in the bottom half of the table but when it comes to games against our rivals, they disappear. The big man is no such player.

Just this season alone, the Frenchman has scored against the likes of Bayern Munich (both legs), Leicester, Manchester City and now twice against Liverpool. The 29-year-old clearly gives everything he’s got exactly when we need it.

After the Liverpool match, Wenger said, “He had more chances but it was a positive performance overall.

“It was not easy for him many times and he was exposed to a very physical battle up front and had to protect the ball and fight against the centre backs at long balls. He was very precious for us tonight.”

Indeed, Giroud’s goals aren’t the only part of his play that we need. His hold-up play and strength are also crucial elements of his game and mean he’s always contributing to the team, even when not scoring directly.