Arsenal won it late against Tony Pulis’ plucky West Brom side on Boxing Day to end a run of two straight defeats.

The Gunners who came up against a determined Albion defence had to be patient up until the 86th minute. Mesut Ozil’s fizzing cross found Olivier Giroud who headed back towards goal to evade Ben Foster’s dive.

Foster pulled off a number of great saves to keep his Albion side in a game dominated by the home side. For much of a frustrating game, The Gunners enjoyed 80% possession but were largely ineffective against the well-drilled West Brom.

But Arsenal’s persistence finally paid off when Giroud was on hand to notch up his seventh goal in five starts.

Arsenal have stayed 4th, remaining nine points behind league leaders Chelsea after The Blues beat Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth while Manchester City dispatched Hull.

Here’s how we rated the players who saw off West Brom…

DEFENCE

Petr Cech – 6 – The 33 year-old had very little to do. One mishap from a corner almost cost his side.

Kieran Gibbs 6 – Patrolled the lines well after finally getting a chance. Unfortunate to be taken off through injury in the second half.

Laurent Koscielny – 7 – As solid as ever. Never really troubled by Salomon Rondon

Gabriel – 7 – Unsteady start but improved. Needs solid performances like yesterday if he’s to be seriously considered over Mustafi

Hector Bellerin – 7 – Overlapped well but struggled to make an impact on West Brom’s stubborn backline

MIDFIELD

Francis Coquelin – 6 – Not much to do defensively. Often found himself in forward positions with Arsenal’s dominance

Granit Xhaka – 7 – Played some lovely cross-field passes to get his teammates into attacking positions

Mesut Ozil – 7 – Struggled to get into the game, but of course grabbed the assist for Giroud’s late winner

ATTACK

Sanchez – 8 – Nonstop trouble for the Albion defence who played out of their skin to keep him at bay

Iwobi – 6 – Found it difficult to link up with his teammates against a narrow defence

Giroud – 7 – His persistence was the breakthrough as he shows why he’s still key for this Arsenal team.