Gary Neville says he was perplexed by Chelsea manager Frank Lampard’s decision not to use Olivier Giroud as a substitute against Arsenal in the 3-1 defeat last night.

The France international has been in excellent form, scoring seven goals in seven games, and Neville feels the striker’s aerial ability could have made an impact at the Emirates with the Gunners struggling with crosses into their box:

“I joked that he (Thiago Silva) may have to stay up in open play for the crosses and he has done. It’s why I was surprised Giroud didn’t enter the fray 20 minutes ago because they have been dangerous when they put it in the box from this (the right-hand side).”

The Blues did score with a low cross from Callum Hudson-Odoi, whose delivery led to Tammy Abraham chesting the ball in to make it 3-1 on the night. Thiago Silva also had a chance with a header that flashed wide.

Yet, the forward who is the strongest in the air wasn’t utilised, and fans will be rightly asking why Giroud wasn’t involved; especially considering he has been scoring goals for fun recently. It will be interesting to see whether Lampard opts to start the 34-year-old when they play Aston Villa tomorrow evening.