Arsenal succumbed to an embarrassing 2-1 loss to Swansea in the Barclays Premier League on Wednesday at the Emirates Stadium.
Joel Campbell’s strike exactly at the quarter-hour mark was cancelled by Wayne Routledge and Ashley Williams in the 32nd and 46th minutes.
The defeat was Arsenal’s third successive in all competitions after slipping to Barcelona and Manchester United last week.
It further put a big question mark on the Gunners’ title credentials with leaders, Leicester City, now six points ahead.
But where did it go wrong for the North London side at home?
- Misfiring attack
Arsenal’s attack once again failed to click with Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez both hitting the woodwork. The pair has now failed to score in 10 and seven games respectively.
- Cech howler
With the game tied at 1-1, the Gunners were pushing for a winner before experienced goalkeeper, Petr Cech, produced a rare error. The 33-year-old miss-timed Gylfi Sigurdsson’s free-kick which found a totally unmarked Williams for Swansea’s second.
- Tactical blunders
Arsene Wenger’s decision to haul off the very vibrant and creative Campbell for Danny Welbeck backfired with Arsenal’s attack looking disjointed afterwards. The home fans displayed their frustration by booing the Frenchman who now has an uphill task against rivals Tottenham in their next league game.
- Defensive flaws
Arsenal’s defence once again proved how vulnerable it could be by giving away two cheap goals against the Welsh side. Gabriel Paulista and Per Mertesacker got the nod at centre back ahead of Laurent Koscielny but were very much incompatible. The Gunners have now conceded eight times in their last four games.
- Superior Swans
Swansea visited the Emirates Stadium with just one aim – to erase a long standing record of five years without victory over the North Londoners. Francesco Guidolin masterminded that mission and setup his Swans team to achieve that feat. His less fancied lads proved the better side and got a vital victory which moved them to six points above the drop.
