In the closing moments of a compelling FA Cup tie there were two hugely significant moments for Arsenal.

The first was Olivier Giroud’s winner that denied Preston the replay their skill, commitment and early goal had deserved. Following Arsenal’s dramatic comeback from three goals down at Bournemouth, it was the second successive match in which the French striker had scored a decisive late goal. Giroud, who had to wait until Boxing Day for his first league start, has now scored in four straight games.

However, perhaps of longer-term importance was the drive that Danny Welbeck, brought on as a late substitute, saw fizz over the bar in stoppage time. It was the 26-year-old’s first shot in anger for eight months since sustaining a serious knee injury at Manchester City.

They were, as his manager Arsene Wenger said, months of "desperation" for the England striker. “He went from certainly desperation because the setback he had was absolutely atrocious,” he said.

“The patience you need when you are that age was terrible – and to miss the European Championship on top of that. But he worked hard and it will certainly make him stronger what happened to him.

“But you have to go through it and it was a very difficult moment for him. I think he suffered a lot and I hope, touch wood, that he will now have a clean career.”

Welbeck has seldom had the luxury of a clean career. He had briefly played for Preston on loan under Darren Ferguson but his time at Deepdale was cut short by knee problems.

Having knocked out his former club, Manchester United, in his first season at Arsenal, he missed the 2015 FA Cup final because of another injury.

Preston vs Arsenal player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Preston vs Arsenal player ratings Preston vs Arsenal player ratings Chris Maxwell – 6 out of 10 Made a handful of important saves in the latter stages of the game, but did concede two. Preston vs Arsenal player ratings Marnick Vermijl – 5 out of 10 Showed his ability going forward, but tended to get caught out of position on occasions. Preston vs Arsenal player ratings Tom Clarke – 6 out of 10 Relentlessly battled throughout and would never back down from a challenge, but at times his temper was getting the better of him. Preston vs Arsenal player ratings Paul Huntington – 6 out of 10 He made a number of crucial challenges at the back to break down the Arsenal forwards, but was outclassed at the back, at times. Preston vs Arsenal player ratings Greg Cunningham – 6 out of 10 It was a mediocre display from Cunningham today, who just looked outclassed by the Arsenal players at times. Preston vs Arsenal player ratings Paul Gallagher – 6 out of 10 Was a threat in the air, both in the defensive and attacking third. Created a number of chances too. Preston vs Arsenal player ratings Ben Pearson – 7 out of 10 Particularly in the first half, he controlled the pace of the whole game, latched onto every loose ball and used possession tremendously. Preston vs Arsenal player ratings Daniel Johnson – 5 out of 10 It was an average display from Johnson, who wasted possession at times and his decision making was questionable. Preston vs Arsenal player ratings Aiden McGeady – 7 out of 10 Was Preston’s best player in my opinion today – he created the first goal with a moment of magic and continued to impress throughout. Preston vs Arsenal player ratings Jordan Hugill – 7 out of 10 The youngster battled persistently and deserved a goal to cap off his impressive performance. Preston vs Arsenal player ratings Callum Robinson – 7 out of 10 Robinson showed his ability with an unquestionable work-rate, constant pressure to hunt possession and he got a well-deserved goal for his efforts. Preston vs Arsenal player ratings David Ospina – 5 out of 10 Made a couple of crucial saves, but aside from the goal it was a relatively quiet day at the office for Ospina. Preston vs Arsenal player ratings Ainsley Maitland-Niles – 6 out of 10 Despite being caught out of position in the early stages of the game, he found his feet and worked well defensively and going forward. Preston vs Arsenal player ratings Gabriel – 5 out of 10 His positioning was questionable and he was struggling to keep up with the Arsenal defensive line. Preston vs Arsenal player ratings Shkodran Mustafi – 6 out of 10 Made a crucial stop on the goal-line to stop Preston doubling their tally and carried a presence on the pitch today. Preston vs Arsenal player ratings Nacho Monreal – 6 out of 10 Looked sloppy at the start of the first half, but improved as the game progressed. Made a number of important interceptions. Preston vs Arsenal player ratings Aaron Ramsey – 7 out of 10 Managed to find his feet in the second half, as his goal ignited Arsenal’s comeback in the second half. Preston vs Arsenal player ratings Granit Xhaka – 5 out of 10 He failed to influence the game today to the level that he is capable of. Showed glimpses of brilliance, but it was not enough. Preston vs Arsenal player ratings Lucas Perez – 6 out of 10 Battled constantly throughout and deserves praise for his role in Giroud’s winning goal. Preston vs Arsenal player ratings Alex Iwobi – 6 out of 10 A miserably mediocre performance which witnessed him regularly being wasteful in possession. Preston vs Arsenal player ratings Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 5 out of 10 Made a habit of giving away possession and making the wrong decisions. Preston vs Arsenal player ratings Olivier Giroud – 7 out of 10 Was isolated in the first half, but regained a powerful presence in the latter stages and scored the winner – as per usual.

Wenger recognised that loneliness was a factor in Welbeck’s recovery especially as the first prediction – that he would be out for three to five months – proved wildly optimistic.

“We talked with him of course,” he said. “When players are injured they are a little bit out of my sight. At a football club sometimes when a player has a long-term injury it is better that you get him out and away.

"A football club is built for people who are competitive so mentally it was difficult for him. Of course, we spoke to him a lot but when something like that happens to you, then you have to deal with it on your own.”

Saturday night at Deepdale was the stage for the kind of tie that demonstrated the FA Cup still resonates and kept the competition’s most successful manager of modern times in the hunt for a seventh trophy.

“What more do you want?” Wenger said of a tie in which his first goalscorer, Aaron Ramsey admitted Preston had taken Arsenal ‘by surprise’ and shown greater commitment in the first half.

“It was a great tie and I came here with a team of quality – 80 per cent of the players who played against Preston played against Bournemouth.

“I don’t know why people don’t have a positive opinion about it – it’s more the press, I think. I would have been devastated to go out here.