Arsenal sunk by late Gomis header

Arsenal's hopes of catching Manchester City for second place in the Premier League suffered a setback after a late Bafetimbi Gomis header, verified by goalline technology, handed Swansea City a 1-0 win at the Emirates on Monday.

Substitute Gomis struck five minutes from time, meeting Jefferson Montero's cross with a header that crossed the line before it was scooped out by keeper David Ospina, the goal confirmed almost immediately to the referee by the goalline technology system.

Frenchman Gomis also scored the winner when Swansea beat Arsenal 2-1 at home in November.

Arsenal, who have three games left to play, remain on 70 points, three points behind City who have two games left. Manchester United, in fourth, have 68 points with the top three securing automatic entry into the Champions League group stage.

United host Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday.

"We were a bit unlucky with the goal. There are a lot of positives. This kind of game you play 20 times and win 19 times," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told Sky Sports.

"In patches our domination was top quality. You have to learn from defeat and we take encouragement from a defeat like that. Swansea deserve credit for their defensive display but they probably had the fewest passes in our half of any team here this season."

Swansea goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski frustrated his former club, the Poland international making several good saves in the second half to thwart the home side.

Arsenal, unchanged for fifth successive game, had rarely tested Fabianski in a tepid opening half.

It took almost an hour for Arsenal to muster their first shot on target with Olivier Giroud shooting straight at Fabianski.

Arsenal pressed forward with greater urgency and Fabianski denied Alexis Sanchez and then Theo Walcott with a fine double save.

Swansea, who are in eighth place, are only the third team to beat Arsenal home and away in a league season in the Premier League era.

"We worked all week on our plan. The players were magnificent and carried it out to the letter," said Swansea manager Garry Monk.  

United visit

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger brushed off his side's 1-0 loss to Swansea City as "an accident" and challenged his players to atone when they visit Manchester United on Sunday.

United can dislodge third-place Arsenal from the automatic Champions League qualifying positions if they beat them at the weekend and Wenger's annoyance was plain during a post-match press conference in which he said Swansea had "refused to play completely and just defended".

"We have still a game in hand," said the Frenchman, whose team play host to Sunderland on May 20 before tackling West Bromwich Albion on the season's final day.

"What is crucial is to respond on Sunday and show it is an accident today (Monday). That is the most important (thing)."

Arsenal had won nine of their previous 10 games, only dropping points in a goalless draw with Chelsea, and fielded an unchanged team for the fifth game in succession for the first time since January 1994.

It took until the 59th minute for them to register a shot on target and although they mustered eight more, there was no way past Fabianski, who saved from Olivier Giroud, Santi Cazorla, Theo Walcott, twice, Nacho Monreal, Aaron Ramsey and Alexis Sanchez.

"We scored plenty of goals until recently," added Wenger, who felt that his forwards had been guilty of "rushing" their finishing.

"In the last two home games we didn't score and that's of course frustrating when you have so much of the ball, as we did tonight, and you play with such accuracy around the box.

"But they defended well. They came just to defend, with four defenders and six midfielders. They defended, that's it. If you win, you're fantastic. If you lose people say to you, 'Why did you not play?'"

Having beaten Arsenal 2-1 at the Liberty Stadium in November, Swansea became only the second team to do the double over the London club and Manchester United in the Premier League era after West Ham United (2006-07) and Chelsea (2009-10).

Swansea manager Garry Monk took exception to Wenger's criticism of his side's approach and said their victory proved that they have become a more multi-faceted team.

"If we didn't play, I don't know how we got three points," he said.

"If you watched all our games, we've won games totally dominating possession. The number one thing for me is that we try to do that in as many games as possible. The players know that.

"But there are times where you have to be adaptable and we've shown that time and time again this season.

"That's the double over Arsenal. We've done the double over Manchester United. So if people don't like it, it's not my problem."

Swansea are now just one point off seventh place, which will yield a Europa League place if Arsenal beat Aston Villa in the FA Cup final, and two points off six place, which is a guaranteed Europa League berth.

But Monk appeared less than enthused about the prospect of a resource-stretching European campaign.

"What will be will be," he said. "It's not my focus. I won't lie in bed worrying about it.

"The only thing that will change in that instance will be that the planning for the summer in terms of recruitment will have to be a lot more, not that the chairman will want to hear that.

"We've got two games left. We've got a very difficult game next week against Man City. We'll have to see where it takes us.

"I'm not one to deny it if we get there, but if not, it wasn't to be."

 

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