Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud delayed from playing in Chelsea defeat as fourth official queries Frenchman's omission from Gunners team-sheet

• e-mail

As if Arsenal's miserable 3-0 defeat by Chelsea wasn't enough, Olivier Giroud's attempts to join the fray as a half-time substitute caused a row with eagle-eyed officials.

The 30-year-old striker tried to enter the field of play in Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium as a replacement for record signing Alexandre Lacazette at the start of the second half.

However the match was delayed after an argument broke out over the French striker's involvement in the game as it emerged his name had not been listed on the team-sheet handed to officials before kick-off.

Arsenal's Olivier Giroud was involved in a row with officials as he tried to come on as substitute

Mon dieu! A mix-up led to jobsworth officials initially preventing him from entering the field

Arsene Wenger explained after the game: 'Yes [there was some conflict]. 

'I don't understand why he was not on the list. They [local officials] didn't want to let him play, and we of course had a bit of an argument because we announced him. 

'We finally got the green light from someone in the sky, and he could play.'

The incident summed up the match for Wenger as his team subsided to a disappointing defeat after conceding two goals in two minutes before half-time through Willian and Michi Batshuayi, before a second from the 23-year-old four minutes after the break sealed the win for Chelsea.

After an argument with the local officials common sense prevailed and Giroud was allowed on

The 30-year-old who has hit 98 goals for the Gunners is pondering his Arsenal future 

The only positives were from the dynamism shown by makeshift wing-back Cohen Bramall - who this time last year was preparing for a new season with Hednesford Town.

The £40,000 signing from the Northern Premier League outfit showed impressive bursts of athleticism on during a generally underwhelming display.

Arsenal fly home to prepare for next weekend's Emirates Cup in north London when they will line up against Benfica on Saturday July 29 and Sevilla the day after.  

The dynamism of makeshift wing-back Cohen Bramall was one of the few positives for Arsenal 

Despite the loss to London rivals Chelsea more than 230,000 fans attended the club's four tour fixtures in China and Australia as the Gunners looked to broaden their global appeal. 

Giroud, who has attracted interest from West Ham and Everton, will soon decide whether to stay with Arsenal despite Lacazette's arrival pushing him further down the pecking order.