Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud said it was a big moment for him to grab a brace in Saturday's 4-1 win over Sunderland as he made an instant impact off the bench in his first Premier League appearance since returning from an injury.
Giroud's place in the team has been questioned as the Gunners' attack has sparkled with Alexis Sanchez leading the line in the Frenchman's absence. But he showed his worth by netting with his first two touches to help Arsenal pull clear just minutes after Sunderland had equalised.
"I have to be honest, it's a big time for me because I've come back from a tough injury and I'm very happy to get back on the pitch," Giroud told Sky Sports. "And obviously it's nice for me and my team to score. For a striker, it's always important."
After missing the start of the season because of his late return from Euro 2016, Giroud injured his toe in the Champions League match at Paris Saint-German in September and needed longer than expected to recover. He has yet to start a game this season, and Saturday's goals were his first of the campaign.
But he showed what he brings to Arsenal in terms of having a target in the box, as he first lunged to divert Kieran Gibbs' cross into the net, then met a corner with a well-taken header. That made it two goals from two touches for the Frenchman.
"If I could do that every single game, I would be the most happy man," he said. "I've been lucky today and I had a great assist from my teammates, so I tried to always finish the job well."
Giroud's introduction clearly changed the game, but manager Arsene Wenger refused to take any credit for the substitution.
"It's easy to have inspired substitutions when you have the quality on the bench that we have. So that was quite an obvious decision," Wenger told the BBC.