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LONDON -- Arsenal cruised past Sunderland in a 4-1 win Saturday with a brace from the returning Olivier Giroud, allowing the Gunners to keep pace in the Premier League title race and to bounce back from a mid-week Champions League defeat. Giroud, who wasnt in the starting lineup for two matches after allegations about his private life and a decline in form, scored twice in the first half. Tomas Rosickys chip made it 3-0 before half time at Emirates Stadium, while defender Laurent Koscielny scored an unmarked header in the second half. Sunderland scored a late consolation goal with a 25-yard strike by Emanuele Giaccherini. The result leaves Arsenal in second place with 59 points, one behind Chelsea, and Sunderland in the relegation zone in 18th place with 24 points. "We had a very demanding week physically and mentally and we gave the right response today," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. Record signing Mesut Ozil, who missed a penalty in the 2-0 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday and had an argument with teammate Mathieu Flamini during the match, was sidelined with a thigh injury. Giroud, who had to apologize to his club and family after a British tabloid published photos of a model who allegedly visited his hotel room, made up for lost time against Sunderland. He scored in the fifth minute after nice buildup play between Rosicky and Jack Wilshere led to the goal, with the France forward slotting the ball past Sunderland goalkeeper Vito Mannone. Giroud struck again in the 31st when he intercepted a sloppy back pass from Santiago Vergini intended for Mannone and rolled the ball underneath Arsenals former backup keeper. Giroud now has 12 league goals. "I had no hesitation about his strength of character," Wenger said. "Of course you want him to come back into the team and be successful, which he was today because he scored two goals." Rosicky scored in the 42nd with a chip after a string of one-time passes from his teammates, and Koscielny netted with a free header in the 57th. Sunderlands goal came in the 81st after Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny dealt with a free kick by punching the ball outside the area. It fell to Giaccherini and he unleashed a first-time shot to beat the Poland keeper. Despite losing to Bayern on Wednesday and dropping from the Premier League summit recently after months in first place, Arsenal fans were in high spirits before Saturdays match. The club unveiled a statue to former player Dennis Bergkamp outside the stadium, and Wenger compared Rosickys performance against Sunderland to Bergkamps style. "I am very pleased for Rosicky because today Bergkamp got a statue and I think Rosicky took the Bergkamp role well. Certainly Dennis will have been pleased to have seen him play," he said. In addition to Ozil, Arsenal has a few other injury concerns: Wilshere (hamstring), Koscielny (back) and Nacho Monreal (foot). While Wenger wasnt certain how bad Wilsheres injury was, he said Ozil, Koscielny and Monreal should be available next week. Sunderland plays Manchester City in the League Cup final next weekend and captain John OShea hopes his teammates have learned from the defeat. "Its a wake-up call for us, both in the league and ahead of next weekend," he said. "We have to make sure we look at ourselves individually and collectively, dust ourselves down and go again." Clearance Sports Jerseys . According the CSNBayArea.com, the 31-year-old suffered an ACL injury in his right knee on Friday when he collided with Anaheims Emerson Etem during a pre-season game. Stitched Sports Jerseys . The deals were announced on Friday. Beckham will receive $4.175 million in base salary, while De Aza will receive $4.25 million. Beckham hit .267 with five home runs and 24 RBIs over 103 games last season, his fifth with the White Sox. https://www.discountsportsjerseyscheap.com/. Los Angeles announced its new deal for Kupchak late in the fourth quarter of a 145-130 loss to the Houston Rockets. Kupchak had one year left on his current contract. Sports Jerseys . In question is whether 26-year-old Matt Frattin will be on it. A a€?mediocrea€? training camp, as Carlyle put it earlier this week, has Frattin lingering nervously on the bubble at the end of the exhibition season, pushed out of a likely job by Brandon Kozun, the small, but feisty winger determined to make the NHL for the first time. Discount Sports Jerseys .Y. -- First, Ryan Miller.CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Tampa Bay left-hander Matt Moore plans to play catch in a few days to see how his left elbow is feeling. Moore went on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday. He also experienced elbow soreness last year while going 17-4 with a 3.29 ERA for the Rays. He had an MRI and was waiting for a team doctor to compare it to previous tests.ddddddddddddHe said on Friday that he felt better and was hoping to play catch in three to five days, giving him a clearer idea of whether hell need surgery. The Rays havent announced his replacement in the rotation. They have to pick someone to start the final game of an interleague series against Cincinnati on Sunday. ' ' '