He scored the winner in the Community Shield.
Arsenal played well and beat Chelsea 1-0.
The goal came in 24 minutes.
Theo Walcott was central and passed wide to Oxlade, who was marked by Azpilicueta, a right-footed left back.
Oxy likes to be a dribble-and-shoot player.
His main value is what he can do for himself. He took three touches and…BANG!
He beat two very good players. He cut inside on his weaker foot and took on Azpil on his stronger side and fired a left-foot thunderbolt that gave the giant Courtois no chance.
So Oxlade beat two top internationals to score that goal.
Both teams missed a couple of good chances.
Those were were the kind of chances you often see missed in pre-season games when the teams are not 100% match sharp.
And with Petr Cech in one team and Thibaut Courtois in the other, I wasn’t expecting many goals and thought it might go to a penalty shoot-out.
CECH WILL BE A HUGE INFLUENCE.
He’s a serial winner and a total professional and an all-round great guy.
The celebration by the Arsenal players at the end was very revealing.
It was an intense, fiercely joyful celebration which showed how much beating Chelsea meant to the group.
Their body language said: “At last! We’ve got that monkey off our backs!”
VERDICT :
Arsenal beat Chelsea 1-0 without Alexis Sanchez, their best player. They can also beat West Ham without him.