The jury remains out on the first string but it would be hard for Troy Deeney to criticise the ‘cojones’ of the back-up boys. Grubby wins in screaming arenas are not to be sniffed at.
And make no mistake, this was a particularly scrappy win and a particularly noisy arena, a right bowl of hostility in which even Arsenal’s physio staff were given a going over.
But out of the Serbian furnace came some Arsenal fire, with this maligned club coming up with the fighting spirit needed to maintain their 100 per cent record in Group H.
Olivier Giroud’s acrobatic goal won the game for Arsenal on 85 minutes after neat build-up by Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott
The France and Arsenal forward hooked the ball over his shoulder and into the net with only five minutes remaining in Serbia
French striker Giroud runs to the corner flag to celebrate his stunning strike as Walcott joins in to congratulate him
The Arsenal players celebrate in front of the travelling supporters after securing a hard-fought victory on Thursday night
Wilshere, yet to get so much as a minute in the Premier League this term, gives his fans the thumbs up at the full-time whistle
The Arsenal players, including captain Petr Cech (right), applaud the visiting supporters following their narrow European win
MATCH RATINGS AND MATCH ZONE FROM BELGRADE
Red Star Belgrade (4-2-3-1): Borjan 7; Stojkovic 6, Le Tallec 6.5, Savic 6 (Babic 66, 6), Rodic 6; Kriszicic 6.5, Donald 6.5; Srnic 6 (Gobeljic 83), Kanga 6, Radonjic 7; Boakye 6.5 (Pesic 80)
Subs not used: Adzic, Milijas, Racic, Supic
Yellow cards: Boakye 60, Le Tallec 63, Borjan 86, Babic 90
Red cards: Rodic 80
Manager: Vladan Milojevic
Arsenal (3-4-3): Cech 7; Debuchy 6, Elneny 6.5, Holding 6.5; Nelson 7, Coquelin 5 (Sheaf 90), Willock 6.5 (McGuane 89), Maitland-Niles 5.5; Walcott 5, Wilshere 7.5; Giroud 6.5
Subs not used: Akpom, Dasilva, Macey, Nketiah, Osei-Tutu
Goals: Giroud 85
Yellow cards: Coquelin 65, Nelson 90
Manager: Arsene Wenger
Referee: Benoit Bastien (France) 7
A look at Olivier Giroud’s late winner. You can see more statistics and information at Sportsmail’s brilliant MATCH ZONE here
The goal that did it was exceptional, a thing of beauty in a game that didn’t really deserve it, delivered by a player in Olivier Giroud who looked far from capable of pulling it off on the night. He was woeful, guilty of poor misses and pointless runs.
And then, with 85 minutes, he arched his back and met a header from Theo Walcott, blasting the winner with an overhead kick. A brilliant finish and a superb result for a side that barely resembled anything Arsene Wenger might use in the Premier League.
In light of Deeney’s comments that they lacked guts against Watford last weekend, maybe that was no bad thing.
But in any case, they delivered, and in doing so vindicated Wenger’s risk of making nine changes to his side, with only Petr Cech and Mohamed Elneny retained in a mix-and-match team that saw the latter repurposed as a centre-half and right-back Mathieu Debuchy given his first start in 326 days. A vulnerable defence? Occasionally it would look that way.
There was also a place for Jack Wilshere, as has become standard in Arsenal’s lower-priority competitions. He is yet to get so much as a minute in the Premier League this season, which must now change. Surely.
His man-of-the-match performances against BATE Borisov, in their previous Group H fixture, and in the win over Doncaster in the Carabao Cup had to be afforded some perspective because of the limitations of the opposition.
Nine changes were made to the Arsenal side, with only Cech and Mohamed Elneny retained in a mix-and-match team
This was a particularly scrappy victory for Arsene Wenger’s side at a particularly noisy arena, the Rajko Mitic Stadium
Arsenal defender Rob Holding slides to block the path of the advancing Richmond Boakye during the Europa League clash
Twenty-year-old starlet Ainsley Maitland-Niles was one of a number of youngsters handed a start by Arsene Wenger in Serbia
Walcott, another fringe player given a chance to shine in Serbia, pleads for the ball during the Europa League encounter
But he showed it again here, in an environment best summed up by the huge crowd mosaic of an Arsenal cannon being crunched by a fist.
In the first half, almost any attack of note from Arsenal came through Wilshere, with the midfielder creating marginal openings for Walcott and Giroud in the first 10 minutes. A heavy touch by the Frenchman in the latter instance killed what was developing into a decent move.
Those were murmurings of potential; what followed on 14 minutes was a clear opportunity and a dreadful waste. It started with a Wilshere free-kick and progressed to a Rob Holding’s shot being deflected across goal, with Milan Borjan scampering along his line as the ball bobbled towards Walcott. He had time and an unobstructed view of goal but scuffed the shot with his left and Borjan saved. A poor effort.
Until that point, Red Star had done precious little to check out that Arsenal defence. But from the 25th minute to the end of the half, they were the most dangerous side.
Richmond Boakye, who has been monitored by Chelsea, hit the bar with a header from a Nenad Krsticic corner and Cech made an excellent save around the half hour when Nemanja Radonjic had space in the area to take a touch and throw himself into a bicycle kick. The marking on both chances was weak, but getting through the 45 minutes unpunished was a moderate success in the environment.
Giroud, who led the line for the Gunners in the Serbian capital, is challenged by Montenegro right back Filip Stojkovic
England international Wilshere battles for possession with midfielder Slavoljub Srnic during the clash on Thursday night
Arsenal youngster Reiss Nelson, handed a rare start in Belgrade, slides in to challenge Red Star midfielder Nemanja Radonjic
Maitland-Niles attempts to hold off Red Star and Gabon midfielder Guelor Kanga in the first half of the Europa League clash
Wenger, who saw his team suffer an embarrassing defeat at Watford in their last outing, reacts to a decision on Thursday night
The second period started with one excellent lunge from Elneny to block Slavoljub Srnic, before Giroud made an almighty mess of a chance at the other end. Walcott had attempted the initial shot but in dragging the ball horribly wide, unwittingly found Giroud plum in front of goal. He somehow scooped it over the bar from seven or eight yards out.
Walcott then miscued another shot and Reiss Nelson had one saved. On the back of a good game against Borisov, this was an even more impressive performance by Nelson, a 17-year-old whose elevation into the first team has come with tremendous dollops of hype.
The early evidence is that he is worth getting excited about. Indeed, during a second half that ran the risk of going stale, his commitment to pestering the Red Star defence offered at least a glimmer of hope.
That was supplemented by Milan Rodic’s red card for a second yellow after tangling with Francis Coquelin in the air and then came the goal, executed with a degree of excellence that seemed rather out of place for the game. Wilshere had done most of the damage with a run and pass to Walcott and his header found Giroud. From there, he found a finish that no-one predicted.
Cajones just to try it.
Wilshere, making his sixth appearance of the season, challenges Srnic during the goalless first half at the Rajko Mitic Stadium
Kanga is put under pressure by Arsenal youngster Joseph Willock (centre) and Mohamed Elneny (right) in Thursday’s clash
Montenegro international Stojkovic cries in pain after being tackled by Arsenal’s holding midfielder Francis Coquelin
Wilshere fires a free-kick towards the Red Star penalty box. The midfielder was playing his third European game of the season
Vujadin Savic is sent flying following a challenge by Giroud, who won the game in the face of a hostile atmosphere in Serbia
Mathieu Debuchy, making his first appearance of the season, slides in to challenge Boakye during the second half