Clement rap for Swans’ final third

Saturday’s 4-0 mauling from Arsenal was another sobering afternoon for Swansea City.

The Welsh side dropped back to bottom spot on the day new boss Paul Clement was introduced to the Liberty Stadium crowd for the first time.

Swansea have conceded at least three goals in seven of their last nine games, and the league’s worst defence has now yielded 49 in 21 games.

But Clement – Swansea’s third manager of the season – took encouragement from a display which had hinted at better before Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud struck for the fifth consecutive game.

“There’s definitely stuff to build on,” Clement said.

“But I was most disappointed with our offensive play, we didn’t show any real quality in the attacking third.

“Deflected goal for the second goal, deflected goal for the third goal and then it’s very difficult to come back from that position against a quality side like Arsenal.

“This is a team over recent weeks which has had some crushing defeats, goals have gone in and the players are all human beings.

“Confidence can be affected and my job is to try and get them as well prepared as possible.”

Goalkeeper Petr Cech welcomed Arsenal’s 4-0 win by insisting every goal couldcountinthechasefor Premier League glory.

Giroud put Arsenal ahead at the end of an even first period, turning an ankle in the process which later forced him to limp off.

Own goals from Jack Cork and Kyle Naughton – both deflections from Alex Iwobi shots – and an Alexis Sanchez volley saw Arsenal coast home, and Cech felt the most pleasing aspect of the victory was the way Arsenal pressed for more goals after going 2-0 ahead.

“Every time you can score more goals you should try to do so,” Cech said.

“That is because every goal will be important when you see how tight it is in the top five places.

“Every goal might count so we try to make sure, when we can, to continue to search for more goals.

“And we wanted to make sure that at 3-0 and 4-0 we didn’t concede.”