Arsenal Vs Swansea City: Recap, Highlights And Analysis

Arsenal travelled to Liberty Stadium on Saturday to face Swansea City side. Here is the full recap, all the highlights and analysis from the 4-0 win.

That was an important win for Arsenal. In no way was it a scintillating performance. There were many issues that must be ironed out over the coming weeks. However, after a week of negative media encircling the team, despite them going four games unbeaten, winning three of them, bringing some positive news as they look to keep pace with Chelsea at the top of the table is highly beneficial.

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Swansea City, under new manager Paul Clement, looked lively, especially in the first half. They were well-drilled, disciplined and did cause Arsenal problems. Arsene Wenger continued with much of the same team that has sailed through stormy waters in recent weeks, though welcoming back Mesut Ozil was a promising sign for the rest of the season.

The first half started in rather worrying fashion. Like Bournemouth and Preston before them, Swansea were pressing high up the pitch, harassing Arsenal deep in their own half, giving them very little space or time to look for the forward, incisive passes into the feet of Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez.

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Clement had clearly set up his team to frustrate their visitors and utilise pace in wide areas to threaten. Nathan Dyer was a threat throughout the first half in particular, while Gylfi Sigurdsson was given the freedom to work off the scraps from the effort of Dyer and bustling striker Fernando Llorente.

However, as the game progressed, Arsenal began to grow. Ozil and Alex Iwobi starting getting on the ball more frequently, Aaron Ramsey stopped playing the ball backwards, rather looking forwards, playing off of Giroud and as such, the greater share of possession allowed Nacho Monreal and Gabriel Paulista to push up on overlapping areas.

Eventually, the Arsenal did come. A lightning break orchestrated between Ramsey and Ozil resulted in a vicious, low Ramsey cross missed by Giroud at the back post. Alexis Sanchez recovered the scraps, patiently waited for the right option to appear, clipped a ball in and, after Ozil had his header blocked, Giroud fired a shot into the roof of the net from only six yards out.

The second half started in very different fashion. Arsenal, with Wenger clearly instructing them during the break, played a much higher line, suffocated Swansea, pressing them deep into their own half and bombarded them with relentless waves of attacks. Sanchez had a shot blocked, Lukasz Fabianski made an excellent save from Aaron Ramsey, who should have scored, and Mesut Ozil prodded and probed with his usual creativity.

The second goal did indeed come, though in very fortuitous circumstances. With the ball cleared, Nacho Monreal nipped in, headed the ball back into the danger area. With confusion among the Swansea ranks, Alex Iwobi collected possession, shot towards goal and it looped up and over the outstretched Fabianski off the legs of Jack Cork. This will be one for the goal committee to determine if Iwobi did indeed score or if Cork is the unlucky beneficiary.

With the game fizzling out, the third goal came soon after. With Swansea trying to clear, Granit Xhaka makes a wonderful interception, Mesut Ozil plays an incisive pass into the feet of Iwobi, who, driving at Fernandez, shifts the ball onto his left foot, fires a cross along the six-yard box and Kyle Naughton inadvertently pokes it home.

The fourth and final goal for Arsenal came through Alexis Sanchez. Having moved into a central role with Giroud going off earlier for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sanchez finished well after Chamberlain’s cross bobbled around in the penalty area. Credit should be given to Alex Iwobi once more, who showed great strength in driving towards the penalty area and the intelligence and awareness to play a cute, reverse pass to release Chamberlain.

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While there were causes for concern in the first half, the display in the second period, with the pace that Arsenal played at, especially on the break, was promising to see. It suggests that, perhaps, as we enter the second half of the season and the beginning of the end, Wenger’s men could yet mount a genuine and sustained title challenge.

Highlights