CECH CLANGER
Arsenal lose again after gaffe by keeper
ARSENAL’S latest contribution to the title no-one wants to win was a rather sorry home defeat against a Swansea team without their manager and with six players rested.
It was not the reaction Arsene Wenger had expected after the defeat at Manchester United on Sunday.
Joel Campbell’s opener should have eased any anxieties but the problems seem to be more deeply rooted in the Arsenal dressing room.
Wayne Routledge levelled before half-time and Ashley Williams put Swansea ahead with 16 minutes left on the clock. Arsenal dominated for long spells but were never at their most fluent.
They hit the woodwork three times, twice through Alexis Sanchez and once through Olivier Giroud who really should have buried his chance.
After a defeat soaked in withering criticism at Manchester United, Wenger might have been banking on wounded pride to play its part.
Sanchez started despite Wenger’s concern that he was overdue a break to recharge his batteries.
The Chilean set about trying to disprove the theory in the opening minutes as he went in search of his first Premier League goal since October.
It almost came early when he struck the inside of a post having deceived the Swansea defence by totally miskicking his initial effort at goal, a volley from a pass by Campbell, flicked on by Mesut Ozil.
His air-shot worked as a form of control, so Sanchez quickly shifted the ball a yard and curled another shot towards the far post, this one more worthy of the name.
Swansea keeper Lukasz Fabianski did not move as the ball struck the woodwork and got lucky as it bounced kindly into his arms.
The reprieve was short-lived, however, as Sanchez turned creator with a clipped pass forward into the penalty box for Campbell to supply a stylish finish.
On a diagonal run, right to left, Campbell slid and wrapped his left foot around the ball as it dropped, hooking it past Fabianski without trying to smash it too hard.
The former Arsenal keeper got a hand on the shot but could not keep it out. An early goal was just what Wenger’s team needed to settle nerves.
Swansea were without manager Francesco Guidolin, referred to hospital yesterday when a lung infection worsened, and made six changes to the side beaten 2-1 at Spurs on Sunday.
The Welsh club were prioritising the next three fixtures against Norwich, Bournemouth and Aston Villa but they did respond to the early setback.
Routledge darted on to a pass from Jack Cork and beat Petr Cech from the edge of the penalty area as Arsenal complained about a challenge by Jordi Amat on Ozil, on the halfway line at the start of the move.
Amat had his arms around Ozil as he contested the ball and though Wenger took his case to the fourth official it was not the most blatant foul.
Arsenal, missing Laurent Koscielny who was out with a calf injury, were then exposed down the centre of the pitch by the vision of Cork and the movement of Routledge.
It was the first goal in more than a year for the former Spurs winger and his first in the Premier League since December 2014.
Arsenal, however, ought to have been in front again by half-time but Giroud smashed a volley against the bar when he appeared certain to score.
Per Mertesacker was in the goalmouth to nod the ball down to Giroud, who had time and space and was perfectly set in the middle of goal, nine yards out. His effort was sweetly struck but flashed into the frame of the goal and out.
Ozil snatched a chance soon after the interval and Sanchez saw an effort squirt wide as Swansea were forced deeper but they remained dangerous on the counter attack.
Gylfi Sigurdsson, on at half-time, almost became the second former Tottenham player to strike when he skipped around Cech. But Sigurdsson was forced wide and could not squeeze his shot on target, instead cutting it across goal.
Arsenal threw everything forward. Danny Welbeck, scorer of a late winner from the bench against Leicester last month, came on for Campbell. The crowd jeered Wenger’s decision to take off the Costa Rican who had been far brighter than some of his more illustrious team-mates.
Sanchez hit the bar again, this time a curling free-kick from 20 yards out but they were stunned into silence when Williams bundled in Swansea’s second, a free-kick by Sigurdsson, missed by Cech and turned in at the back post.
And Cech’s misery was completed when, in the last play of the game, he pulled up injured as he tried to sprint back to his goal having gone forward for a corner.