Swansea City 3 - 2 Arsenal - Match Report

Swansea City recorded a historic victory against their equally skilled ball playing counterparts, Arsenal, in a fantastic fixture at the Liberty Stadium this afternoon. Thierry Henry's potential return to Premier League action was not the only highly anticipated aspect of this game, with many looking forward to the prospect of two of the most effective passing teams in the league locking horns to see who were the true pass masters. The visitors didn't take long in stamping their authority on the game with Robin van Persie putting Arsenal ahead after just four minutes. Andrey Arshavin's perfectly weighted pass found the Premier League's top scorer, who shrugged off the best efforts of Steven Caulker to dismantle his attack on goal, to fire past Michel Vorm in the Swansea goal. Van Persie wasn't finished their either as he appeared to be a threat to the scoreline with every attack he made, however it was Michel Vorm who came up trumps in response to his later efforts. Swansea's reply came in the form of what appeared to be, on second viewing, a debatable penalty claim. Referee Michael Oliver pointed at the spot after Nathan Dyer was felled by Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey but after numerous replays during the half-time analysis it appeared the decision was a little harsh on the Gunners. Regardless, the resultant penalty was coolly handled by Scott Sinclair who maintained his 100% penalty success rate for the South Wales team. With the scores level the game maintained it's high tempo and string of good chances for either side. Steven Caulker thwarted a good Aaron Ramsey chance after the Welsh captain failed to capitalise on knocking the ball past the rushing Michel Vorm. If the first 45 minutes of action weren't delectable and exciting enough, the second half had plenty more to offer the record attendance at the Liberty Stadium. The Swans, who were at the foot of the Third Division this time nine years ago, came out in the second half yearning for a vital three points and claim their first true scalp of their Premier League tenure. Swansea Manager Brendan Rodgers decided to introduce new loan signing Gylfi Sigurdsson to the mix and the Icelandic international was almost immediately called into action with a string of corners for the home team. Sigurdsson has established himself as a clinical set piece taker and this was clear to see from his well executed balls into the Arsenal goal area, however the Gunners stood tall to clear the danger. Whilst Nathan Dyer and Aaron Ramsey were involed in the first goal, they both had parts to play in Swansea's second. Ramsey's lack of awareness caused him to lose the ball from an illusive challenge by Joe Allen, who instinctively picked out Dyer with a well played ball. Dyer, who has now made it three goals in three games in all competitions, reassured his footing to strike a well hit shot past Wojciech Szczesny to give Swansea a famous lead. The goal to put Arsenal down prompted club legend Thierry Henry to make his return to Premier League action as he joined the fray, replacing Andrey Arshavin but never really failed to make an impact on the match. Swansea maintained their calm and collective style of play but a lapse of concentration gave Arsenal the perfect opportunity to equalise and Theo Walcott grasped that chance with gusto. Against the run of play, Walcott's pace triggered into action as he latched onto the end of a ball from Johan Djourou to beat the attempted offside trap from Neil Taylor and Steven Caulker. Taylor was the nearest defender to the England winger but he was all but chasing dust, helplessly looking on as Walcott calmly lifted the ball over Michel Vorm to equalise. The nature of the equaliser stunned the Swansea crowd however their team's reply was an utter summation of the game. In a definition of end-to-end play, Swansea did just that to regain the lead through Danny Graham a mere 35 seconds later. From the restart Gylfi Sigurdsson took advantage of the poorly positioned Igansi Miquel to thread a ball to the feet of Danny Graham. Whilst Miquel made life easy for Sigurdsson, Szczesny made life easy for Graham. The Arsenal keeper was at sixes and sevens, making a bad mistake to come off his line which Graham made full use of to slot home and regain the lead for his team. With the Liberty Stadium bouncing, Arsenal remained in hopes of crashing the party in South Wales. Per Mertesacker had a golden chance of tying the score once again but he fluffed his lines at the vital moment to spur his shot wide. The introduction of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, in replacement of the towering Mertesacker, outlined Arsenal's intent of going for the equaliser but the chances were gained and lost. Aaron Ramsey attempted to make up for his mistakes during the game but could only fire his header down the throat of Michel Vorm. Tomas Rosicky and Laurent Koscielny followed suit with neither getting the best of the big Dutchman with their efforts late in the game. After the final whistle blew the 20,000+ capacity crowd at the Liberty Stadium gave a collective sigh of relief as the Swans secured a memorable victory. Whilst Arsenal could feel a little hard done by with the conceded penalty, it's fair to say that Swansea played their hearts out and deserved the victory to continue their 100% record in 2012. As for Arsene Wenger, the concerns in defence mount up. Although his current injury crisis is bewildering, a dip into the transfer market for a world class, commanding defender would do the world of good for an Arsenal team that is always seeming a little too top heavy and very light at the back. The win takes Swansea into the top half of the table at 10th place, whereas Arsenal's failure to pick up points in South Wales puts them four points behind Chelsea and remain in 5th place.