A late QPR goal flattered Rangers and gave Arsenal a nervous finish to the match.
Rangers started strongly, but could only muster one strong shot by Austin, who hit it right at Ospina.
Arsenal finally started to assert themselves after about a half hour, with Olivier Giroud hitting at the keeper being their first shot on goal.
The Gunners managed the best move of the half, with goalkeeper Robert Green making an excellent save from a Cazorla volley just before halftime.
The second half began with a magnificent run by Rosicky, followed by a cross which Ozil would have poked home had he not been fouled by Henry, a foul not seen by referee Kevin Friend.
Olivier Giroud finally scored the go-ahead goal, courtesy of a move created by Sanchez and Gibbs. The ball fell into his hands from close range and he smashed the ball past Green.
Sanchez should have doubled the lead when he found himself alone in front of Green, but he hesitated and provided a tame finish, which Green saved.
He atoned for this miss when he snuck in from the byline and surprised Green by poking the ball past him at the near post. It was vintage Alexis.
At this point QPR appeared defeated, but a defensive lapse allowed Austin space to shoot and he scored with a magnificent strike past Ospina in the 82nd minute.
Arsenal were able to see out the remainder of the time without conceding any real good chances to Rangers.
Player Ratings:
Ospina 7. A good game from Ospina, although he only had to make one great save, a cross/shot in the first half which he had to dive and push wide. Most of Rangers best shots missed the goal until Austin’s power drive gave Rangers some hope.
Bellerin 8. A fine performance from Bellerin at both ends. He made a number of fine runs and a couple of good crosses. He shows signs of growing stronger and stronger.
Mertesacker 8. Dominated the air and had a strong match, a good response to his rough outing against Monaco.
Gabriel 5. A rough outing for Gabriel, who was introduced to the rough and tumble Premier League by Bobby Zamora, who bullied him and used his elbows liberally. Worryingly, Gabriel left the field before halftime with, you guessed it, a hamstring injury!
Gibbs 7. He was playing really well, having had a hand in both goals and looking close to his best, when he and Koscielny backed off of Austin and allowed him space to shoot and score.
Coquelin 8. Playing with a face mask guarding his broken nose didn’t deter Coquelin. He had a strong defensive match, shielded the back four, and was able to move forward and help push the team forward.
Cazorla 8. Steady match from Santi, who looked stronger after a slow start and helped to move the ball forward. A fine volley near halftime produced a fine save from Green.
Ozil 8. Mesut played with energy and purpose and produced one of his best defensive displays of the season. Was fouled by Henry and narrowly missed Rosicky’s cross early in the second half. Later he would turn and shoot, his save parried by Green against the post. He was my man of the match.
Rosicky 8. Tomas had a solid game, highlighted by his fine burst forward in the second half. He had a fine volley saved by Green in the second half as well.
Giroud 8. Excellent game by Olivier. He made a number of touch passes to set up others as well as held up the ball and brought others into the play. Opened the scoring by pouncing on a deflected pass from Gibbs.
Substitutes.
Koscielny 7. Strong game from Laurent, until he and Gibbs inexplicably allowed Austin to shoot.
Ramsey 6. Aaron made his first appearance in six weeks with a late cameo. At times he seemed to think he’d replaced Giroud, as he was often the furthest forward, when I think Wenger probably put him on to help Coquelin.
Welbeck n/a. Played a couple of minutes. Came on to waste time.