Walcott at the double as nervy Arsenal end their Swansea jinx
Finally, the Swansea jinx is over. A run of just one win from five previous league meetings with the Welsh side was finally ended at the Emirates. Though, in a jittery, nervy, at times panicky, final half-hour, the home side were lucky not to succumb once again to Welsh domination.
“What looked to be a comfortable afternoon, finished in an uncomfortable way,” was Arsène Wenger’s summary.
He was not wrong. And in truth, were it not for the generosity of their guests, things would have been even more uneasy. A hugely entertaining match began with a flurry of old school Emirates failings. Despite setting up camp in the Swansea half from the kick off, Arsenal were unable to get a shot away, the ball not landing properly for Alexis Sánchez or Alex Iwobi when well placed.
But it soon transpired that Swansea’s defenders were keen to lend assistance. Never mind the fitness deficit he identified on taking control of the club, their new manager Bob Bradley will now be aware of the priority of persuading his defenders to find Row Z when clearing their lines, rather than presenting unmissable invitations to opponents.
Theo Walcott was the principal beneficiary of Swansea gifts. Playing as if his recent impression of a drain in Engminutes land colours never happened, after 27 minutes he laid off a pass to Sánchez, then hared forward in anticipation of a return. The Chilean instead chipped the ball to the right of the area, where Héctor Bellerín nodded into middle. Jordi Amat, who seemed to have read the intention well, tried to control the ball on his thighs, but it bounced off him to the lurking Walcott who steered a crisp shot past his old colleague Lukasz Fabianski.
Five minutes later there was a repeat performance. This time Jack Cork failed properly to connect with a straightforward clearing header from a corner. The ball fell to Walcott who turned sharply and struck his second. This was the sixth goal of the season from a man who only last weekend looked as though he would not score had he played for a year.
But whatever Swansea’s frail defence, where there is Gylfi Sigurdsson there is hope. Bradley employed the Icelandic playmaker as a deep-lying centre forward. And on 37 minutes the false nine stole the ball off Granit Xhaka and strode across the Arsenal area. There was nothing false about his shot past Petr Cech, which his new manager celebrated with a snarled double punch salute.
With a sudden injection of confidence, Swansea began the second half pressing forward. Which left them vulnerable to Arsenal counter-attacks. Walcott should have had a hat-trick after Iwobi’s lovely dribble through the Swansea defence set up Mesut Özil, whose characteristically precise cross found the Englishman alone and unchallenged. But he could only pad the ball into Fabianski’s arms. On 56 Özil showed his colleague how to finish. On the German’s birthday, a superb gift of a pass from Sánchez found him completely unattended on the far post. His gorgeous left-foot volley flashed past the visiting keeper in a manner fondly reminiscent in these parts of Robin van Persie.
But Swansea quickly punctured any Arsenal assumptions. A great run by Modou Barrow completely bamboozled Nacho Monreal. The Swansea winger then pulled the ball back for the substitute González Baston to fire confidently under Cech.
Wenger tried to seal things up by sending on Francis Coquelin, but moments after the substitution things imploded: Xhaka tripped Barrow, who was charging off down the line yet again. Wenger thought this most cynical of interventions deserved a “dark yellow” card but did not argue with referee Jon Moss’s decision to issue a red.
Barrow was by now flying. One gambolling run set up Sigurdsson who ballooned over. Never slow to express concern, the Arsenal stands now filled with panic every time he got the ball. Even then, with Swansea in control of the match, Arsenal had the chance to break. From one breakneck charge from the back, Bellerín sent Walcott away and his lovely finish appeared to have set up his hat-trick as it left Fabianski scrambling. But the ball hit the inside of the post and ran along the goal-line. He then contrived to miss an even easier chance after being set up by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
But despite his profligacy Arsenal had done enough to end the hoodoo. Just. And for Bradley, there was an easy conclusion: sort out his defence and things can only get better.