After a lackluster start to the game, Bafetimbi Gomis put Arsenala s chances of clinching an automatic Champions League qualification spot in jeopardy as he headed home in the dying minutes to complete the double against the Gunners.
Swansea City are the new Manchester United.
Manchester United were once the team that subdued Arsenal every time they locked horns with each other and with a striker like Robin van Persie on board, they were at ease in either fixture. Swansea City have now infamously recreated the Manchester United way of playing against the Gunners, having completed the double in some fashion while also making Bafetimbi Gomis their Wayne Rooney. They are also in contention to finish seventh and the glorified spot speaks for itself.
Final third is all that matters.
Arsenal carried on with their critically acclaimed possession football at the Emirates Stadium last night, but it proved to be ineffective as they were found to be sterile in the final third. Nevertheless, Garry Monk altered his usual game tactics, much akin to the one Arsenal adopted at the Etihad Stadium earlier this season and seized his chance to become the first English team in a really long time to inflict harm on the Gunnersa hyped up home record.
Sam Allardyce knows his trade.
In the absence of his first-string strikers, the Swansea manager deployed the infamous 4-6-0 formation with Gylfi Sigurdsson acting as false nine. Absence of serious goal-scorers meant that the Emirates Stadium had to endure eighty-four goalless minutes of football in a fixture that is tagged pointless by some. Thus, this game only proved to distress the eyes that stayed up late to watch the boring game of football despite being billed as a contest between teams, which are known to have espoused expansive football under their respective managers. In the end, the celebrated Barcelona way of playing football succumbed to the mixture of Jose Mourinho and Sam Allardyce way of playing football.
Aina t it hard to choose between Petr Cech and Lukasz Fabianski?
Lukasz Fabianski was imperious in putting an end to the notorious title drought at Arsenal last season with solid performances in the Football Association Cup. The Polish stopper has now joined the long list of ex-Arsenal players to perform at the highest level in their homecoming as he pulled off mind-boggling saves to deny Arsenal their eleventh home Premier League victory in twelve games. On any other day, the Swansea stopper or even a world-class goal-keeper may have let in one of the double saves from Theo Walcott and Alexis Sanchez. Given his rise in stock and highest quality of performance, not to mention his wage bill, many managers may prefer the former Arsenal stopper to Petr Cech. Does it ring a bell somewhere?
Arsenal still maintain their record.
Swansea may have ended their home record and undefeated Premier League run, but Arsene Wenger made sure at least one record still held good as he fielded the same starting lineup for the fifth consecutive game. In Kieran Gibbs, Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere, the French manager has options in aplenty, but he made no changes to the renowned starting eleven reinstating his faith in his men, but they still succumbed to a defeat at home. The bench-warmers may fancy their chances in the upcoming games or may be forced to watch as their manager warm his men up in the remaining two fixtures for the Wembley game at the end of this month.
Per Mertesacker should be shorter.
Olivier Giroud has forgotten his goal-scoring duties, but never stopped free-kicks from coming off him as he was brought down more than once. Early into the first half, when the Frenchman was brought down, Mesut Ozil stepped up to head home from the edge of the penalty area, but his curling effort only managed to hit Per Mertesacker. With the prominence of either German at the London club heading in entirely different course, it is the centre-back, who must have been shorter. Let us see, if he could get a advice or two from Santi Cazorla.