SWANS LAY IT ON THE LINE
Goal camera gives Gomis late winner to shatter Arsenal
ARSENE WENGER always suspected Lukasz Fabianski was a special goalkeeper. How annoying it must be to be proved correct.
Fabianski walked out of Arsenal last summer at the end of his cont r act despite Wenger’s best attempts to keep him at the club and convince him to sign a new deal.
The Pole returned with Swansea last night and produced a brilliant performance to frustrate his former club in their pursuit of second place.
Fabianski stood firm to repel a seemingly endless barrage of shots as Arsenal dominated before Swansea substitute Bafetimbi Gomis came on to score the winner, five minutes from time.
It was a goal awarded thanks to the goalline technology. Gomis leapt high and produced a powerful header, directed inside the post.
David Ospina clawed it out but not before it had crossed the line and the replays proved that Kevin Friend’s technology was working perfectly.
Swansea arrived having already broken their Barclays Premier League points record and with Garry Monk’s reputation growing as a one of England’s most talented young managers.
With Nelson Oliveira injured and Bafetimbi Gomis only just back and among the substitutes after a hamstring problem, Monk deployed a system without a definitive centre forward.
Gylfi Sigurdsson was up there when they needed a physical target but it was a fluid system, designed t o generate movement f r om midfielders Jonjo Shelvey and Ki Sung-yueng. There were early signs of promise for the visitors with their slick passing and quick wingers.
Sigurdsson released Jefferson Montero down the left and Angel Rangel overlapped on the right and forced the first save of the night from David Ospina with a low drive from an acute angle.
When Arsenal had possession, they defended deep and in numbers. Sigurdsson worked back into midfield and added another body to the task of smothering the passing options.
It worked well in the first half, frustrating the home team while threatening on the break.
Fabianski was making his first return to the Emirates after a wonderful first season at Swansea, where he has banished the crises of confidence which hindered his Arsenal career.
Fabianski’s defence was breached early when Aaron Ramsey found the time to clip the ball on to Olivier Giroud’s head, but the header was too high, and Arsenal’s rhythm stalled after this early chance.
From one free-kick in a dangerous position, Mesut Ozil curled a shot straight into the head of Per Mertesacker as he peeled off the defensive wall. So much for German efficiency.
Slowly, Wenger became more animated on the touchline as Giroud was the target of physical attention from centre halves Ashley Williams and Federico Fernandez as he tried to hold up the ball and link up passes with the runners. Shelvey was booked for a foul on Alexis Sanchez and the Arsenal boss grumbled about time-wasting.
His team have been in irresistible form since the turn of the year and, i n the absence of congestion brought about by successful European football, Wenger has settled on this as his preferred line-up.
Danny Welbeck missed a second game with a knee injury and it was the same team which won at Hull, last week. Even so, they found Swansea difficult to penetrate.
Giroud spun on the edge of the area and swerved a left-footer wide by a yard. Ramsey almost collected a long ball down the middle, but Fabianski beat him to it.
In the final act of a subdued firsthalf, Montero stole the ball from Hector Bellerin and lashed a shot wide and soon after the restart, Ki’s effort from distance was deflected wide.
Sanchez came alive to rattle the side-netting, Ramsey did the same and the game swung back and forth as Arsenal over- committed in search of a breakthrough only to find they were exposed to the counter-attack.
The added urgency made for greater entertainment than the dull first-half but proved no more satisfying for the home crowd. A sharp chance fell to Giroud on the edge of the box after neat play for the left. But he could not direct it far enough from Fabianski. Swansea’s Polish goalkeeper saved diving to his right, and then produced an even better stop to thwart Santi Cazorla from close range.
Wenger sent on Jack Wilshere and sacrificed the defensive shield of Francis Coquelin in the hope his ability on the ball might unlock Swansea’s defensive unit.
Wilshere wriggled down the right but his cross was plucked out of the air by Fabianski, who was getting better as the game went on. Wenger’s next move was to send on Theo Walcott for Giroud. It was a gamble as he tried to win the argument.
Next stop for Arsenal and their pursuit of second place is Manchester United, before games against Sunderland and West Bromwich. Swansea have Manchester City and Crystal Palace to play.