Arsenal were made to work for their points at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday, but found one goal on a bit of a scramble to snatch all three points against Swansea City. With Swansea pushing forward for an equalizer, Arsenal were gifted space for an insurance goal. While the visitors had some nervy moments in the first half, they were in control for most of the match and very much deserved their 2-0 win.
Swansea City vs. Arsenal: Final score 0-2, Gunners keep pace in top four race
Arsenal put the pressure on Chelsea and Tottenham with a big win in Wales.
Jan Kruger
More from our team blogs: Arsenal FC blog The Short Fuse
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made a rare league start and had an extremely lively first half. He hit the crossbar on two occasions with wonderful shots, in the 5th and 42nd minutes. The first half wasn't heavy on chances for either side, however. Theo Walcott had a decent chance in the 35th minute, but took a poor touch to allow Swansea's defense to get in front of him after he was played through on goal, and his shot was blocked.
Michu had Swansea’s best chance of the first half and the game as a whole following a bad giveaway by Arsenal in the 17th minute, but pulled his effort wide. The Swans finished the game with no shots on target, and would never come closer to scoring than that.
In the 74th minute, following a corner, Nacho Monreal became the unlikely hero for his side. A scramble in the box following a blocked shot by Olivier Giroud ended with the ball falling to Monreal, who did very well to direct a left-footed shot to the far post from 12 yards that Michel Vorm was unable to save.
Swansea's defense was caught out in stoppage time as they desperately fought for a chance at an equalizer, with Gervinho striking the death blow for the hosts. Aaron Ramsey set him up on the break, squaring into the center for the unmarked Ivorian, who showed uncharacteristic composure on the finish.
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