Arsenal 2-1 Swansea: Aaron Ramsey and Sead Kolasinac score as Gunners come from behind to record hard-fought victory against Swans
- Sam Clucas gave Swansea a surprise lead in the 22nd minute following Arsenal's early dominance
- Sead Kolasinac equalised for the Gunners on 51 minutes as Arsenal got off to a strong start in second half
- And just seven minutes later, Arsenal were ahead after Aaron Ramsey finished off a fine move
- RECAP: Take a look back at all the action from Saturday's 15:00pm Premier League kick-offs
Sometimes, for all the subtle touches and pretty patterns, only a Tank will do. Thankfully for Arsenal, they finally seem to have found one and he’s really having a blast.
It’s not especially hard to see why that nickname found its way to Sead Kolasinac, the stocky pile of muscle crushing all in his path from left wing-back.
He has been excellent since arriving on a Bosman free transfer in the summer and this was perhaps his best performance of the lot, considering it included Arsenal’s equalising goal and then the assist for Aaron Ramsey’s winner. By the time he was done, with 12 minutes still to play, there were Swan feathers everywhere and that was quite something, given the way this game was heading.
Arsenal came from behind to beat Swansea 2-1 at the Emirates thanks to goals from Sead Kolasinac and Aaron Ramsey
Ramsey leaps into the air after putting Arsenal 2-1 ahead in the 58th minute as the hosts enjoyed a strong start to second half
Ramsey wheels off to celebrate as the Gunners came from behind to lead 2-1 in an entertaining Premier League affair
Wales midfielder Ramsey finishes off a fine Arsenal move with a tidy left-footed finish in front of the North Bank
Bosnian defender Sead Kolasinac celebrates with Granit Xhaka after levelling the score at 1-1 on Saturday afternoon
Arsenal got off to a strong start in the second half and were rewarded by Kolasinac's goal just six minutes into second period
Kolasinac pictured firing home a fierce left-footed strike to level the scoring against Swansea on Saturday
They trailed to a Sam Clucas goal on 22 minutes and should have been 2-0 down in first-half stoppage time, when Jordan Ayew failed in a mission for personal glory when Tammy Abraham was stood squarely in front of an open net. What a decisive, tone-shifting moment that was.
From there, Kolasinac primed the gun and between the 51st and 58th minutes turned this from a loss to a 10th straight top-flight victory at the Emirates Stadium, marking the milestone of Arsene Wenger’s 800th league game in charge.
The Arsenal manager was positively beaming afterwards, pointing to his free signing at the end of a week where, once more, the club’s spending policy has drawn aggressive criticism from supporters in their AGM.
He couldn’t be begrudged for enjoying his moment of vindication, but simultaneously there will be fans pointing out the obvious merits of a physical player, given how lightweight Arsenal have been since Patrick Vieira left.
That is not to say Kolasinac is limited to the role of brute, because he is also blessed with excellent technique. But even Wenger, that staunch admirer of the aesthetic, was marvelling at the beauty of him brushing off challenges in this match.
‘He has absolute body power,’ he said. ‘He was decisive. He scored, made an assist. It is just down to quality. I believe since he has arrived he has convinced everyone he is a good signing. Overall, when you see the quality of his performance, there are still some good deals to be made.’
Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette leaps into the air as he tries to get his head on the ball following Hector Bellerin's cross
Striker Tammy Abraham reacts in dejection during the second period of the tight Premier League encounter
Arsenal captain Per Mertesacker tries to keep up with Chelsea loanee Abraham with Swansea leading at the Emirates Stadium
France international Laurent Koscielny jumps up for a header with Swansea's Leroy Fer in North London
Holland midfielder Fer attempts to tackle Arsenal defender Kolasinac as Swansea looked to keep the Gunners out
If there was a concern it was Kolasinac’s exit on 78 minutes with a hip problem, but Wenger ‘hopes’ he will be fit for the big game with Manchester City next Sunday.
As for Swansea, the suspicion is that they must find something from the forthcoming games against Brighton, Bournemouth and Burnley after a run of three defeats in all competitions.
They defended well here and might well have snatched the win with clearer thinking in the first half, but Paul Clement is shuffling a limited deck of cards. If he is to keep them safe it will be a tough slog.
Clement said: ‘I thought we were good for a point. At 1-0, it was a big chance (for Ayew), absolutely. If we had them 2-0 at half-time it is a different situation. Those are the margins we are dealing with.’
The early indications here were that Swansea would get battered. Arsenal had no less than 78 per cent of first-half possession, but it was also one of those games where they were infuriating in their sheer ineffectiveness. Time and again, they weaved their way to within 20 yards of goal and then found only static in their thought processes.
Sam Clucas is mobbed by his Swansea team-mates after giving Swansea a shock lead in the 22nd minute on Saturday
Clucas celebrates with Tammy Abraham, who laid on the assist for the opening goal at the Emirates Stadium
The former Hull man wheels off to celebrate after giving Paul Clement's outfit a surprise lead on the weekend
Clucas slides the ball past Arsenal goalkeeper Cech in the 22nd minute to give Swansea the lead against the run of play
Aside from one Alexis Sanchez shot that Lukasz Fabianski tipped over, they created nothing of note in the opening 45 minutes.
As for Swansea, they absorbed the pressure and then hit on the counter, capitalising on a Laurent Koscielny blunder to go ahead. What exactly happened is only known to Koscielny, but the visual was of a man caught between ideas of controlling and clearing a Swansea cross-field pass.
Somehow he managed to fall on his face while nudging the ball directly to Swansea’s Tammy Abraham. From there, Abraham threaded an excellent pass to Clucas, who nut-megged Petr Cech and Swansea led.
It really should have been 2-0 but when Jordan Ayew dispossessed Per Mertesacker he went for goal instead of playing in Abraham. How they paid for it.
Arsenal were level on 51 minutes, with Kolasinac nailing a rebound after a Mesut Ozil strike fell to his feet. And they led seven minutes later when Kolasinac collected a ball over the top from Granit Xhaka and pulled back for Aaron Ramsey to finish.
From defeat to victory, just like that. Tanks have their uses.
Alexis Sanchez is pressurised by Swansea's Jordan Ayew during the early stages at the Emirates Stadium
Arsenal and Swansea players observe a minute silence for Remembrance Day ahead of kick-off on Saturday afternoon
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