Beating Queens Park Rangers at home is not something a side should get too excited about these days, especially one of Arsenal’s calibre, but this was a victory which should give Arsène Wenger’s side much hope before a busy period given they triumphed having missed an early penalty, had a man sent off and survived a late scare when QPR threatened the most improbable of comebacks.
It was tense but Arsenal held out and showed that for all the criticism that comes their way, this is a side with heart as well as talent.
The hosts seemed set for an easy and deserved victory when Alexis Sánchez scored with a header on 37 minutes, making up for his fluffed attempt from the penalty spot early on, especially with QPR toothless in attack. Yet Olivier Giroud’s sending-off shortly after the interval and Charlie Austin’s converted penalty late on had the home supporters panicking.
Thankfully for them Tomas Rosicky had scored between those two incidents to secure the three points. For QPR this was a ninth straight league defeat away from Loftus Road and despite their late flurry of attempts, most notably from Eduardo Vargas, they were well beaten.
Wenger made two changes to the Arsenal side which surrendered victory at the death against Liverpool just before Christmas, with Nacho Monreal coming in for Calum Chambers, who was relegated to the bench, and Rosicky, having recovered from a thigh injury, replacing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who was ruled out with a groin strain.
With injuries playing their part, there were a greater number of changes to the visitors’ ranks, with only six players remaining from the side that beat West Bromwich Albion 3-2 a week ago.
The most notable new face was Rio Ferdinand who came in for Richard Dunne to make his first appearance for QPR since early October. The former England defender was called into action inside a minute, clearing a right-wing cross from Sánchez as Giroud looked to make a telling connection.
The pressure continued and Arsenal appeared set to make the breakthrough they deserved when their former player Armand Traoré hacked down Sánchez as he ran across the area.
The referee, Martin Atkinson, had no choice but to point to the spot but Sánchez made a surprising mess of his subsequent shot, a side-footed effort which lacked pace and positioning, enabling Rob Green to block the ball before pushing it away for a corner.
It would have been very Arsenal-like for the hosts to react to that setback by becoming timid and careless in their approach, but to their credit they remained on the front foot, aggressively seeking to cut QPR open. The visitors’ resistance was encouraging but they could not retain possession and the attacks from those in red and white kept on coming.
Arsenal had a legitimate claim for a second penalty on 26 minutes when Nedum Onuoha appeared to wrestle Danny Welbeck to the turf as the forward attempted to bring Giroud's pass under control. This time Atkinson was unmoved.
An Arsenal goal appeared only a matter of time and it duly arrived with eight minutes of the first half remaining. Sánchez this time did not miss from close range, heading in from an unmarked position after Rosicky, Welbeck and Santi Cazorla had moved the ball out to Kieran Gibbs on the left flank.
His cross was inviting and Sánchez did the rest, scoring his 15th goal of the season and bringing relief and joy in equal measure to the majority of those in attendance.
QPR’s defending for the goal had been poor, with six visiting players in the area but none of them able to clear the danger, and Traoré allowing Sanchez to get away from him far too easily. It was proving to be a trying evening for the 25-year-old on his return to these parts.
The second half should have been plain sailing for Arsenal yet there was almost instant distress for the hosts when Giroud was shown a straight red card after pushing his head into Onuoha’s following a collision between the pair.
It was a setback for the Frenchman, who has been in very good form since returning from a broken leg, and for his side, now shorn of the striker’s services over the busy festive period. Little wonder Wenger shook his head with frustration as his compatriot walked off the pitch.
Yet any fresh hope QPR had seemed to be snuffed out soon afterwards when Rosicky struck, the midfielder collecting Sánchez’s pass before hitting a first-time shot past Green.
There came a tame shot from Mauricio Isla, QPR’s first on target, before Austin set up a tense finish with 12 minutes remaining following Mathieu Debuchy’s trip on Junior Hoilett inside the area. It was his 12th goal of the season but for QPR it wasn’t enough.
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