Theo Walcott claims he was happy to pass up the opportunity to net an Arsenal hat-trick in order to help Olivier Giroud to reach 100 goals for the club.
Giroud 3/1 to score 2+ v Brighton
With the Gunners well in control of a Europa League clash with BATE on Thursday, their England international forward had the chance to claim the matchball.
Walcott had netted twice as Arsene Wenger’s side raced into a 3-0 lead, with Arsenal then awarded a penalty shortly after half-time.
Rather than step up himself, the 28-year-old allowed Giroud to take charge from the spot – with the Frenchman converting to reach a century of strikes for the club.
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"Obviously there was a chance for me to take a penalty, but knowing that Olivier was on 99 goals, I felt like it's a great moment in his career to get 100 goals for Arsenal," Walcott told BT Sport.
"I've achieved that myself and I know the feeling, it's brilliant. So that's why he took the penalty. Yeah, there were chances, but you can't be too selfish."
Walcott now has 107 goals for Arsenal, with those efforts coming from 387 appearances.
His most recent turned out to be very productive, with Wenger’s side sweeping to a second European victory of the season and stretch their unbeaten run in all competitions to six games.
"We pressed well, we attacked very well as a unit. Especially for the first 60 minutes, we were very steady. Obviously we're disappointed with the goals we conceded," Walcott said.
"With the structure we play, we don't want to be conceding sloppy goals like we did. But on the other hand, when you score four goals away from home you're always likely to win games, so we're pleased with that."
Arsenal will head into the next international break on the back of a Premier League home date with Brighton on Sunday.
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