Swansea City clinched second Premier League victory on the trot as they brushed aside a lacklustre Arsenal team by a 3-1 scoreline at the Liberty Stadium. Arsenal looked second best from the off, and though they took a lead via Nacho Monreal, and their defensive errors came onto punish with Sam Clucas (brace) and Jordan Ayew claiming a crucial win for the Welsh outfit.
Three Things We Learned:
Same Old Arsenal: A lot of positive vibes were spread after back-to-back wins over Crystal Palace and Chelsea, but the Gunners’ vulnerability at the back came onto haunt them once more. Nacho Monreal has been earning a lot of praise for his goalscoring, but the left-back clearly had a game to forget. The Spaniard’s misjudged throw-in played a role in the Swans’ second goal whilst he continued to miss a clearance late on which allowed Clucas to finish the game after a poor bit of defending from Shkodran Mustafi.
Swans on the rise: The arrival of Carlos Carvalhal has done wonders for the Welsh outfit this term. The ex-Sheffield Wednesday boss has clinched three victories in just five matches at the helm, and two of those have come against Liverpool and Arsenal. As a result, the Swans have temporarily jumped above the relegation places after 14 straight weeks, and they will hope to maintain their form in the weekend trip to Leicester City.
Arsenal’s top-four hopes in tatters: It is pretty early to sum up Arsenal’s season, but the club appear on course to miss out on a top-four position for the year on the trot. The north London side are presently eight points behind fourth-placed Liverpool, and they literally have to keep picking three points on a regular basis in order to close down the gap. One minor advantage on the club’s hands is to win the Europa League to reach Europe’s elite competition, though Arsenal have to contend with the likes of Atletico Madrid and Napoli.
Image – BPI
