Sunday 26 April 2015 11:23, UK
Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud has admitted he was surprised by Arsene Wenger's touchline antics during his side's 2-0 defeat to Chelsea last October.
The Gunners boss reacted angrily to Gary Cahill's challenge on Alexis Sanchez and the Frenchman went on to shove Jose Mourinho backwards before the pair exchanged harsh words.
Wenger later apologised for the spat but Giroud, speaking exclusively to Sky Sports ahead of the sides' latest encounter on Super Sunday, believes his manager's actions would have been justified.
"He is very calm most of the time," said Girould. "He's got good self-control and we were a bit surprised by his reaction.
"But it's a human reaction and I'm well placed to speak about that because I'm an emotional player. I don't keep my feelings for me and that's why sometimes it happens.
"Honestly, from my point of view I was more proud of that. It shows his character and if he has done that, maybe it was justified."
Since the turn of the year, Arsenal have been in blistering form in the Premier League and the FA Cup.
The Gunners became the first team this season to win eight Premier League matches on the trot with victory at Burnley which has seen them rise to second in the table, and last weekend they reached the FA Cup final for a second successive year after an extra-time victory over Reading.
Giroud, who has scored 10 goals in his last 12 appearances in all competitions, insists it will be a huge achievement for Arsenal to end the year in second and with a record-breaking 12th FA Cup triumph.
He said: "We’ve played fantastic football over the last few months and we've won our last eight games in the Premier League.
"We want to carry on. I think second will be a good position even if we have a tiny hope to finish first. It’s been a few years since we’ve finished in the top three so it will be a great achievement if we can reach this target."
Victory over Chelsea would boost Arsenal's chances of a runners-up spot but Wenger is yet to taste victory against a side managed by Mourinho.
Giroud himself has not beaten Chelsea in four attempts in the Premier League and is also yet to score against John Terry and his troops. The fact is not lost on the France international.
“I think it’s going to be really hard but we really want to win this game,” he added.
“For me, I have never won against Chelsea. It could be my first victory. We want to show our fans what a good run we are on and we want to carry on playing our football with our qualities.
“I know we can win this game but Chelsea are really solid at the back. They have not conceded a lot of goals and they are efficient up front. I have not scored against them so it’s a good challenge for me, for the team and for the boss.
“It will be a very big game for us and our fans. Hopefully it will be a great moment.”
Watch the full interview with Olivier Giroud above. Arsenal v Chelsea is live on Super Sunday from 3.30pm on Sky Sports 1 HD.
