Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud admitted that he had never been involved a game like the 7-5 victory over Reading on Tuesday night.

The Frenchman, on as a 62nd minute substitute for Emmanuel Frimpong, scored 140 seconds after arriving on the pitch to make it 4-2 to Reading as the Gunners embarked their remarkable comeback and he felt that Walcott’s goal before half-time was crucial on a dramatic night..

“It’s the first time [I’ve been involved in a game like this],” the striker said. “It was an unbelievable night for us.

“To be losing 4-0, it was a very difficult position for us.

“Just before half-time, Theo’s goal made us trust ourselves and it was important to start the second half like this, keep confidence, play through our lines and keep going.

“I tried to give what I can for Arsenal as a team and we turned the game around.

“When I scored my goal I thought it [victory] would be possible because I scored after 65 minutes so we thought ‘why not?’”