Walcott: Giroud has been on fire recently

By FOX Sports Staff

Giroud has upped his game to such an extent that he appears a markedly improved version of the player who struggled to register a goal at the start of the season. 

He has scored five goals from his six previous matches and has been quite a handful for opposing defences. Furthermore, he has also become more of a threat in the air and has regularly helped build up play as a targetman. 

Walcott benefitted from Giroud's excellent understanding of the game as the Frenchman's lay-off enabled the winger to score the crucial leveller against Liverpool on Wednesday night. Earlier, Giroud had also scored his side's first goal after a clever header off a Jack Wilshere free-kick and put in what was arguably a man-of-the-match performance at the Emirates Stadium. 

"It was a fantastic touch for [my goal] and his goal was what he is known for," Walcott told Arsenal Player. "He has been on fire in recent weeks and he is great to play with." 

"His touch [for the equaliser] was fantastic and allowed me to hit it first time - I think I caught the keeper by surprise. It was a great moment but it's just a shame we didn't get the win."

The England international also hailed his side's overall performance against the Merseysiders and felt that the 2-2 draw was a fair result on the night. 

"Before the game I felt it was going to be very open. Liverpool played well in patches but in the second half we were absolutely fantastic.

"It took us a while to get going and I felt their goal was against the run of play, but it was a great game for the neutral. It feels like a loss [in the dressing room] but if we look at the whole game it is probably a fair result."

Despite the positivity surrounding the players' performances, Arsenal have only won once in six previous league games. The Gunners take on Stoke at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday with the 23-year-old optimistic of achieving a good result. 

“We’re at home, we’re very strong and we need to pick up three points rather than a point,” he said. 

“If we show the performance from the second half [against Liverpool] then I am sure we will beat them.”

Between them, Walcott and Giroud have provided 26 goals for the Gunners this season.