Planet Swans ArchivesDanny Graham was the match winner but it was a team of heroes that played and beat Arsenal at their own game at a bouncing Liberty Stadium
REPORT – Irish Examiner
Danny Graham struck the winner as Swansea claimed the first major scalp of their maiden Premier League campaign with a thrilling victory over Arsenal at the Liberty Stadium.
The Gunners had taken an early lead through captain Robin van Persie but Scott Sinclair levelled from the penalty spot for the hosts.
Nathan Dyer then fired Swansea ahead before Theo Walcott equalised, but Arsenal paid the price for a loss of concentration as Graham ran in to slot his ninth goal of the season less than a minute later.
Captain van Persie returned to the Arsenal starting line-up after an extended break as Thierry Henry was made to wait for his first Premier League appearance in almost five years against Swansea at the Liberty Stadium.
Theo Walcott and Yossi Benayoun were back in the Gunners’ midfield while defender Johan Djourou was recalled after suspension and Per Mertesacker was passed fit after a virus. Henry, who made a goalscoring second debut against Leeds in the FA Cup on Monday, was on the bench.
Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers was able to field his strongest side as Michel Vorm, Steven Caulker.
Sinclair and Joe Allen all came back into the starting XI after being left out of the side for the FA Cup win at Barnsley.
Swansea could barely have had a worse start as they conceded a soft goal inside five minutes.
Aaron Ramsey linked with Alex Song and Andrey Arshavin for the Russian to play in Van Persie, who made no mistake as he fired past Caulker and keeper Vorm from a tight angle.
Sinclair launched a bright Swansea counter-attack as they looked to respond, although his pass could not find Nathan Dyer.
But the same two players were at the heart of Swansea’s equaliser after 16 minutes as, after sharp play down the left by Joe Allen, Dyer went down under Ramsey’s challenge for referee Michael Oliver to award a spot-kick which Sinclair coolly converted into Wojciech Szczesny’s left-hand corner.
The Gunners could have re-established their lead just two minutes later as Ramsey skipped past Vorm and pulled the ball across the six-yard box, only for a fortunate ricochet off Angel Rangel to land in the keeper’s arms.
While Swansea enjoyed the better of the territory, it was the visitors who were carving out the clearer chances, and Van Persie should have done better when played in just before the half-hour mark.
Swansea captain Ashley Williams was caught hopelessly upfield after Leon Britton had been dispossessed by Benayoun, the Israeli’s pass found his Dutch team-mate in acres of space but Vorm stood up well to repel his right-footed shot.
While there was plenty of attacking intent on show both teams were looking vulnerable at the back. Arsenal had looked particularly troubled at set-pieces and Caulker’s header across goal from Allen’s pin-point free-kick was headed to safety by Ramsey.
And the visitors were under pressure again when Williams’ sweeping crossfield pass to Dyer sprung the Arsenal offside trap, with Szczesny beating away his stinging left-footed strike.
Arsenal could have mirrored their first-half start but failed to make the most of two presentable chances in the opening moments of the second period.
Firstly, Walcott blazed over after being located down the right channel by Van Persie, while Arshavin was equally wasteful after being teed up in space on the edge of the box.
Back came Swansea with Dyer curling an effort wide of Szczesny’s left-hand upright, before Allen also flashed an effort off target.
But there was no let-off for Arsenal when another opportunity fell to Dyer after 57 minutes.
Ramsey was easily robbed by Wales team-mate Allen and the midfielder picked out Dyer for the winger to shoot into the net and give Swansea a merited lead.
Wenger had seen enough and Henry was sprung from the bench along with Tomas Rosicky as the ineffectual Arshavin and Benayoun made way.
Swansea were having their best spell of the game but they were made to pay for a poor lapse in defence as Djourou’s pass split Neil Taylor and Williams for Walcott to clip the ball over Vorm.
But parity lasted less than a minute as substitute Gylfi Sigurdsson’s pass saw Danny Graham race in and make the most of Szczesny’s hesitancy to put Swansea back in front
Per Mertesacker should have had Arsenal level again barely two minutes later but the German defender horribly scuffed his effort wide with the goal at his mercy.
Arsenal threw numbers forward but it left them light at the back and it took an outstanding intervention to deny Rangel after the full-back had linked well with Graham.
Ramsey had a great chance to level matters once again but his bullet header from Walcott’s cross went straight at Vorm.
Arsenal’s last chance came when Rosicky drove to the edge of the Swansea box and forced Vorm to beat out his drive before gathering Laurent Koscielny’s follow-up.
