Swansea 0 Arsenal 4: Watch highlights as Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez net for the Gunners whilst Alex Iwobi forces two own goals
Jack Cork and Kyle Naughton both found themselves on the scoresheet after Arsenal's youngster caused chaos
ARSENAL strolled to victory against Swansea in the Premier League after goals from Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez whilst own goals from Jack Cork and Kyle Naughton piled more misery on the home side.
After a very dull start Giroud gave the Gunners the lead on 37 minutes when Mesut Ozil's header hit defender Alfie Mawson and the Frenchman tucked away the loose ball.
Arsenal fans had a scare late in the first half after Swans midfielder Ki Sung-yueng went down in the box but after immediately blowing his whistle, referee Mike Jones made a terrific decision to book the South Korean for diving.
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Swansea then went two behind in the 54th minute when Alex Iwobi's effort across goal hit Jack Cork with the ball looping into the back of net - with the goal going down as a Cork own goal.
Iwobi was then at the heart of ANOTHER own goal with Kyle Naughton being the culprit this time as the teenager fizzed in a low cross which the defender turned into his own net.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain cut the ball back to Aaron Ramsey which was blocked but Alexis Sanchez was on hand to help the ball into the top corner.
Paul Clement now faces a huge task to turn things around at the Liberty Stadium after now conceding 18 goals in their last six home games.
Wenger substituted goalscorer Sanchez for Danny Welbeck in the 79th minute but after a dominant team display the Chilean sulked on the bench after being taken off.
FACTS, STATS, GOALS & LOLS
- SWANSEA fans are fed up of welcoming new managers. Paul Clement is their third this season and he got a luke-warm round of applause. Not exactly a rousing reception.
- THERE seemed to be a bit more purposed to Swansea’s play and they went on the attack right from the off.
- THIS was hardly a title-winning performance but an important three points for Arsenal.
- THEY used to call him Flappy Handski – but he was alert to save well from an Alexis Sanchez drive in the first half and did well to deny Aaron Ramsey.
- PETR CECH really is worth his weight in gold to Arsenal. In a game of few chances, he looked unbeatable… especially when he saved from Kyle Naughton.
- SWANSEA played well but their defensive problems reared their head for Giroud’s ppener. Stephen Kingsley’s missed clearance cost them dearly. And then Kyle Naughton’s own goal was just another kick in the tummy before Wayne Routledge played a pass right into the path of Sanchez for No4.
- REF Mike Jones can get big decisions right … finally. The official was spot on to book Swansea’s Ki Sung-yueng for diving instead of awarding a penalty under the challenge of Laurent Koscielny.
- Love or hate him, Giroud keeps scoring. That is seven goals from seven starts now for the Frenchman.
- YOU have to feel to Swans fans. Their defence really is a shambles. They looked good until a poor Alfie Mawson clearance was punished by Giroud. They were unlucky with Iwobi’s deflected second though.
- ARSENAL will not have many easier days than this. Their tests will come against the teams around them.
BIG PICTURE
Next five fixtures
Swansea 21 Jan: Liverpool (A), PL 31 Jan: Southampton (H), PL 05 Feb: Manchester City (A), PL 12 Feb: Leicester (H), PL 25 Feb: Chelsea (A), PL
Arsenal Jan 22: Burnley (H) - PL Jan 31: Watford (H) - PL Feb 4: Chelsea (A) - PL Feb 11: Hull (H) - PL Feb 15: Bayern Munich (A) - CL
SOCIAL SAYS
DREAM TEAM RATINGS
SWANSEA: Fabianski 6, Naughton 5, Fernandez 6, Mawson 6, Kingsley 5, Ki 6, Cork 6 (McBurnie 71 ,6), Dyer (Fer 55, 5), Sigurdsson 6, Routledge 5, Llorente 6 (Baston 70, 6).
Unused subs: Van der Hoorn, Nordfeldt, Rangel, Fulton
Booked: Ki, Fer.
ARSENAL: Cech 7, Gabriel 7, Mustafi 7, Koscielny 8, Monreal 7, Ramsey 7, Xhaka 7, Iwobi 7, Ozil 7 (Perez 79, 6), Sanchez 8 (Welbeck 79, 6), Giroud 7 (Oxlade-Chamberlain 60, 6).
Unused subs: Ospina, Holding, Reine-Adelaide, Maitland-Niles.
Goals: Giroud, Sanchez - Naughton, Cork (OG)
WHAT THEY SAID
Swansea boss Paul Clement said: "It is very disappointing. The first half we were in the game and looked solid defensively, even though we did not do enough offensively. We got caught on the counter for the first goal.
"We had a big claim for a penalty. Looking back on it, it is a penalty. In the second half, we started poorly and then it was an uphill struggle after the first own goal. Arsenal showed how much quality they have offensively."
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said: "The first half was very intense physically, they gave a lot in the first half and then our pace took over. They had problems containing us.
"In the second half, you could see we could create chances. Our transition and accuracy of passing was very good. We were fortunate with the goals, but the chances were there."