Joel Campbell made the most of Arsenal's injury problems with a goal on his first Barclays Premier League start as Arsene Wenger's men beat Swansea City 3-0 at the Liberty Stadium.
Without Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain because of injuries sustained in the midweek League Cup defeat at Sheffield Wednesday, Arsene Wenger's men were sluggish in the first half but clicked after the break as Olivier Giroud, Laurent Koscielny and Campbell claimed maximum points.
A Bafetimbi Gomis one-on-one and Per Mertesacker's apparent handball gave Arsenal scares, but Giroud glanced home a corner to register the 2,000th goal of Wenger's reign shortly after the interval.
The visitors then doubled their lead through Koscielny midway through the second half when former Arsenal goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski spilled a cross, before Campbell marked his maiden top-flight start with his first goal for the club.
Swansea - let down by their lack of cutting edge - will feel hard done by at not having extended their recent hold on Arsenal, who keep pace with Manchester City at the top of the table.
Wenger - also without the likes of Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere - will take heart from the clinical display from his patched-up side ahead of their UEFA Champions League clash at Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
Swansea had the better of the frenetic opening stages but Campbell curled an effort wide 15 minutes in before Gomis spurned Swansea's first chance shortly after, dawdling when through on goal following a wonderful Jonjo Shelvey pass, allowing Hector Bellerin to sprint back and clear the danger.
The lively Gomis threatened again with a header shortly before Giroud turned an effort over the crossbar in similar fashion to Campbell's earlier attempt.
Despite both sides contributing to an entertaining first half, neither found an advantage before the break although the visitors were perhaps fortunate not to concede a penalty when Mertesacker appeared to handle Gylfi Sigurdsson's free-kick.
Giroud gave Wenger a scare late in the half when he suffered a knock during a tangle with Jefferson Montero, but the Frenchman recovered to open the scoring early in the second period.
Evading Ashley Williams, Giroud headed home Mesut Ozil's corner to mark his 150th Arsenal appearance with a well-taken effort.
Sigurdsson forced Petr Cech into a smart save to his left shortly after, while the dangerous Andre Ayew continued to pose problems for the visitors' backline.
Arsenal struggled to muster much attacking threat in the immediate aftermath of their opener, but doubled their lead eight minutes after the hour mark when Koscielny prodded home after Fabianski was unable to take a catch.
Monk and his players complained that Kevin Friend failed to award a foul following Bellerin's cross, but it mattered little when Ozil jinked into the area and crossed for Campbell, who made the most of a rare opportunity up front with the final goal.
Swansea remain winless at home in the league since late August while Arsenal warmed up for their crucial trip to Munich with victory.
Swansea City manager Garry Monk: "There were a lot of positives in our play and we were exceptional in the first half. We should have taken the lead when we were on top. We gifted them two goals and you can't do that against any team, let alone Arsenal. I'm disappointed to lose, but I think the scoreline flatters Arsenal. We had chances to score and were the better team in the first half. They were two poor goals on our behalf that gifted the game to Arsenal. It's a shame because there were so many positives and it looked like we would go on and get a positive result"
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: "They took six points off us last year and that shows we've moved forward. The second half we were a different team. After we scored the first goal it was all us and there was only one winner on the pitch. I feel they offered a lot in the first half, then technically we were on top and we upped our pace in the second half and from then on it was more difficult for them. That's what you want (from Giroud). The less we talk and more we play the better we play - that's our job and that's what he does. The second goal didn't look a foul to me, honestly, but I have to watch it again as it's difficult to see from outside. Joel Campbell took his goal really well and he is still a young player who had to wait for his chance. He's adapted to Europe, been in a few leagues and come back and I like his team spirit and workrate. To show he can be on the end of things as well gives him a chance."
0 comments:
Post a Comment