Swansea continued their remarkable recent record at the Emirates to condemn Arsenal to a crushing third straight defeat .
A weakened Swansea side extended their unbeaten run at Arsenal to four games after captain Ashley Williams' late winner.
Wiliams'
74th minute strike secured a third win in that four-game run at Arsenal
for the relegation-threatened Swans, who made six changes to the side
that lost at Tottenham.
Joel Campbell got Arsenal off to a good start when he half-volleyed in Alexis Sanchez's cross in the 15th minute.
But
the Gunners were pegged back when former Tottenham winger Wayne
Routledge ran onto Jack Cork's through ball and slid the equaliser past
Petr Cech.
And Williams bundled in the winner in the 74th minute to send the Swansea fans wild.
1. Walcott pays the price
Nick Potts/PA Wire
Decisions: Wenger chose to drop Walcott after his poor display at the weekend
Theo Walcott paid the price for his anonymous display at
Manchester United on Sunday when he was dropped against Swansea. He
might have a battle on to get back in the side. And he might have a bit
of work to do to regain the affections of some fans. There were even a
few jeers when his name was read out before kick-off.
2. Joel Campbell takes his chance
Reuters / Dylan Martinez
Opener: Campbell scored an excellent first goal
Mike Hewitt/Getty
Impressive: Campbell took his chance
Joel Campbell grabbed his chance to show he should be the
beneficiary of Theo Walcott's woes and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's injury.
The Costa Rican winger, who opened the scoring, started down the right
and showed a lot of what Walcott's Old Trafford display lacked – hard work, industry, impact and end product.
3. Olivier Giroud's confidence crisis
Nick Potts/PA Wire
Dry spell: Giroud floundered up front
The Frenchman is having one of those spells again. He has
now gone 10 games without a goal and his confidence looks shot. He is
snatching at chances – he missed three presentable ones here. At times,
he is even struggling with the basics like passing to his teammates. He
needs a goal badly.
4. History repeating itself
Reuters / Dylan Martinez
Deja vu: Arsenal's season has a familiar look
It is always this time of the season that Arsenal's season
collapses and it is happening once again. Going out of the Champions
League to Barcelona is one thing, losing to Manchester United is
understandable too, even if Arsenal should have had more than enough to
see off the Old Trafford side's class of 2016. But this shocking
home defeat to Swansea means it is crisis time for the Gunners. With
Tottenham suffering a rare defeat this was a huge opportunity missed.
5. Swansea' survival hopes
Reuters / Dylan Martinez
Done enough? Swans are six points clear of the drop
Swansea had a tough double header against the two title
chasing sides from north London but showed more than enough in both
games to suggest they have the spirit to stay up. Defeat at Spurs was a little harsh but they were full value for all three points at the Emirates.
Produce the same effort and organised displays in their next three
games against Norwich, Bournemouth and Aston Villa and they might get
enough points to all but secure their safety before March is over.
John Cross' player ratings
Arsenal
Cech 6 - Left exposed on Swansea’s opener.
Bellerín 6 - Good pace down the flank, crossing was disappointing.
Mertesacker 6 - Good leader but his lack of pace is such an issue.
Gabriel 5 - Has stalled this season. Is struggling for form and confidence.
Monreal 7 - Very consistent for Arsenal, one of the few this season.
Coquelin 6 - Won good tackles but nowhere near his best form. Ramsey 5 - Sloppy with his passing. Badly out of form.
Reuters / Dylan Martinez
Sloppy: Ramsey is lacking form
Campbell 7 - Worked hard, lovely finish, his substitution widely booed.
Ozil 7 - Excellent delivery. You can’t question his determination. Sanchez 6 - Hit the woodwork twice but he’s still not playing well. Giroud 6 - Smashed a volley against the bar. Should have scored. Substitutes - Welbeck, for Campbell, 64 mins, 6
Swansea
Fabianski 7 - Does well whenever he plays against his former club. Naughton 6 - Solid defensively, not much chance to get forward. Amat 7 - Had good ding dong battle with Giroud. Williams 8 - Very committed and solid at the back. Stood firm and scored the winner in the second half. Kingsley 6 - Solid display at left back on his Premier League debut. Routledge 7 - Very cool finish past Cech for Swansea equaliser.
Richard Heathcote/Getty
Cork 6 - Excellent through ball for Routledge’s equaliser. Fer 6 - Sent a swerving shot just over the bar. Ki 5 - Hooked at the break after having a quiet first half. Aye 5 - Booked. Busy but not too much end product. Gomis 7 - Caused Arsenal problems as he was lively and strong. Substitutes - Sigurdsson, for Ki, 46 mins, 7, Fulton, for Fer, 70 mins, 6
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