Arsenal v Swansea
Arsenal's worst start to a season under Arsene Wenger continued as Michu scored two late goals to leave Arsenal 10th in the Premier League table.
Spanish striker Michu struck with two minutes left, curling the ball home after a neat one-two with Luke Moore.
Nathan Dyer's persistence then sent Michu clear and another composed finish gave Wojciech Szczesny no hope.
Gervinho wasted Arsenal's best chance when he made a mess of a free header in front of goal.
The midweek draw at Everton had already given Arsene Wenger his lowest points tally at this stage of the season - 21 points from 14 games - since taking over at Arsenal 16 years ago.
Wenger frustrated at "jaded" Gunners
The groans of discontent were loud and clear as his players trudged off after another toothless display that leaves them five points behind fourth-placed rivals Tottenham.
Arsenal improved considerably after a poor first half as they starved Swansea of possession, but Michu's double strike as the game began to peter out gave them no chance to recover.
His controlled left-footed finishes took his tally to 11 for the season, further emphasising the bargain price of £2m Swansea paid to take him from Rayo Vallecano in the summer.
Wenger had targeted this game - the first of four at home from the next six - as a springboard to climb up the table and back into the title race.
But those hopes now lie in tatters and it will be Swansea who will be looking upwards as they move to within three points of the top four.
Analysis
"Swansea were superb in the first half; Arsenal better in the second but not good enough. And the difference between the two sides was Michu - two chances right at the end that he took with aplomb."
There were early warning signs for Arsenal as the visitors began playing with a confidence borne from manager Michael Laudrup's instruction to express themselves without the constraints of pressure.
Sharp, intricate passing released full-back Angel Rangel behind the static Arsenal back four, but Szczesny was alert to save his first effort and then block the second shot on the rebound.
The Gunners were then indebted to a last-ditch lunge from Thomas Vermaelen to deny Dyer, whose hesitation after running free from the halfway line gave the Arsenal captain a chance to recover.
Despite a lack of invention, pace and fluidity, Arsenal could easily have scored twice before half-time through Gervinho.
The striker was inches away from connecting with an inviting cross from Carl Jenkinson, but then got it all wrong when left unmarked six yards out.
Laudrup salutes 'fantastic' Swans win
So poor was Gervinho's attempt that Theo Walcott retrieved the ball before it went out for a throw-in.
The Gunners finally showed some urgency and appetite after the break, quickly forcing Gerhard Tremmel into a first save when Santi Cazorla delivered a low drive.
Two half-hearted penalty claims were then waved away before Szczesny continued his personal duel with Rangel to deny him with another fine save.
Gervinho's ineffectual afternoon ended just after the hour mark, and his replacement, Olivier Giroud, gave referee Mark Clattenburg a tight call to make almost immediately.
Giroud was brought down by a desperate Chico Flores lunge on the edge of the area, but Clattenburg saw the faintest of touches from the Swansea defender.
Arsenal continued to probe, and Swansea were fortunate that Vermaelen's far-post header went straight at Tremmel.
But having offered little after the break, the Swans struck with ruthless efficiency to snatch all three points.
A simple one-two was enough split the home defence to release Michu for the first, and his lifted side-foot finish beat the out-stretched hand of Szczesny.
Another incisive finish followed two minutes later after Jenkinson's attempted backpass was deflected into his path by the tenacious Dyer, leaving Swansea to celebrate only their second away win over the Gunners.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: "We are in this job to turn things around, and I am confident we will [because of] the quality of the players and the spirit we have in the team.
"It is a good moment to stick together.
"I am not so much worried about [league] places, even if that is not the place you want to be, but I believe what is important is we get the quality of our game back. Then the places change."
Swansea City manager Michael Laudrup: "There have been three great performances, each better than the [previous] one.
"The team is playing with a lot of confidence. They [Arsenal] put us under pressure for 20 minutes in the second half and you know their players can make the difference at any moment, so you can never sit easy.
"We looked in quite good shape and were only defending deep a few times."
Lineup, Bookings (1) & Substitutions (5)
Arsenal
- 01 Szczesny
- 04 Mertesacker
- 05 Vermaelen Booked
- 25 Jenkinson
- 28 Gibbs
- 08 Arteta
- 10 Wilshere (Rosicky - 79' )
- 14 Walcott
- 19 Cazorla
- 09 Podolski (Giroud - 67' )
- 27 Gervinho (Oxlade-Chamberlain - 66' )
Substitutes
- 24 Mannone
- 18 Squillaci
- 07 Rosicky
- 15 Oxlade-Chamberlain
- 16 Ramsey
- 22 Coquelin
- 12 Giroud
Swansea City
- 25 Tremmel
- 04 Chico
- 06 Williams
- 22 Rangel
- 33 Davies
- 07 Britton
- 09 Michu
- 12 Dyer
- 20 De Guzman (Tiendalli - 74' )
- 24 Ki Sung-Yeung
- 17 Shechter (Moore - 67' )
Substitutes
- 13 Cornell
- 16 Monk
- 21 Tiendalli
- 26 Agustien
- 29 Richards
- 19 Moore
- 41 Donnelly
Live Text Commentary
Full Time The game is over, as the referee blows his whistle.
90:00 +2:03Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Chico by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Gerhard Tremmel takes the free kick.
90:00 +0:49Nathan Dyer provided the assist for the goal.
90:00 +0:49 Goal scoredGoal - Miguel Michu - Arsenal 0 - 2 Swansea Miguel Michu fires in a goal from inside the penalty area low into the middle of the goal. Arsenal 0-2 Swansea.
89:19Corner taken by Theo Walcott played to the near post, Angel Rangel manages to make a clearance.
87:20Luke Moore provided the assist for the goal.
87:20 Goal scoredGoal - Miguel Michu - Arsenal 0 - 1 Swansea Miguel Michu scores a goal from deep inside the penalty box low into the middle of the goal. Arsenal 0-1 Swansea.
75:08Luke Moore takes a shot. Per Mertesacker gets a block in. Outswinging corner taken right-footed by Sung-Yeung Ki from the right by-line to the near post. Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Mikel Arteta by Chico. Direct free kick taken by Wojciech Szczesny.
85:48Thomas Vermaelen takes a shot. Comfortable save by Gerhard Tremmel.
85:31Santi Cazorla takes a shot. Ashley Williams gets a block in.
84:24 BookingBooking Thomas Vermaelen is shown a yellow card for unsporting behaviour.
84:16Unfair challenge on Santi Cazorla by Dwight Tiendalli results in a free kick. Mikel Arteta takes the direct free kick.
83:15Ashley Williams concedes a free kick for a foul on Olivier Giroud. Free kick taken by Mikel Arteta.
82:57Dwight Tiendalli takes a shot. Wojciech Szczesny makes a comfortable save.
80:41Ashley Williams fouled by Tomas Rosicky, the ref awards a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Ashley Williams.
79:57Dwight Tiendalli challenges Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain unfairly and gives away a free kick. Free kick taken by Tomas Rosicky.
78:37 SubstitutionSubstitution (Arsenal) makes a substitution, with Tomas Rosicky coming on for Jack Wilshere.
77:45The official flags Luke Moore offside. Thomas Vermaelen restarts play with the free kick.
75:08Luke Moore takes a shot. Per Mertesacker gets a block in. Corner taken by Sung-Yeung Ki from the right by-line to the near post. Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Mikel Arteta by Chico. Wojciech Szczesny takes the direct free kick.
73:48 SubstitutionSubstitution Dwight Tiendalli joins the action as a substitute, replacing Jonathan de Guzman.
Substitution Jonathan de Guzman leaves the field to be replaced by Dwight Tiendalli.
72:32Miguel Michu takes a shot. Wojciech Szczesny makes a comfortable save.
71:59Nathan Dyer concedes a free kick for a foul on Theo Walcott. Per Mertesacker takes the free kick.
71:41Santi Cazorla takes a shot. Comfortable save by Gerhard Tremmel.
70:14Mikel Arteta takes a shot. Blocked by Ben Davies.
69:44Corner from the left by-line taken by Theo Walcott, clearance by Ben Davies. Outswinging corner taken by Theo Walcott from the right by-line played to the near post, Sung-Yeung Ki makes a clearance.
66:31 SubstitutionSubstitution Luke Moore on for Itay Shechter.
65:57 SubstitutionSubstitution Olivier Giroud joins the action as a substitute, replacing Lukas Podolski.
65:57 SubstitutionSubstitution Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is brought on as a substitute for Yao Gervinho.
65:46Jonathan de Guzman produces a right-footed shot from just outside the area that goes harmlessly over the target.
63:45Carl Jenkinson concedes a free kick for a foul on Jonathan de Guzman. Direct free kick taken by Ben Davies.
62:57The assistant referee signals for offside against Miguel Michu. Wojciech Szczesny takes the free kick.
61:41Angel Rangel takes a shot. Save by Wojciech Szczesny. Inswinging corner taken right-footed by Jonathan de Guzman from the right by-line.
59:51Santi Cazorla takes a shot. Comfortable save by Gerhard Tremmel.
59:24Corner taken by Theo Walcott from the left by-line, save by Gerhard Tremmel.
53:54Itay Shechter takes a shot. Per Mertesacker gets a block in. Inswinging corner taken by Jonathan de Guzman from the left by-line, clearance by Per Mertesacker. Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Kieran Gibbs by Ashley Williams. Wojciech Szczesny takes the direct free kick.
55:26Inswinging corner taken by Theo Walcott from the left by-line played to the near post, Angel Rangel manages to make a clearance.
53:54Itay Shechter takes a shot. Blocked by Per Mertesacker. Corner taken right-footed by Jonathan de Guzman from the left by-line, clearance by Per Mertesacker. Free kick awarded for a foul by Ashley Williams on Kieran Gibbs. Free kick taken by Wojciech Szczesny.
49:00Mikel Arteta concedes a free kick for a foul on Itay Shechter. Miguel Michu restarts play with the free kick.
48:25Outswinging corner taken from the right by-line by Theo Walcott.
47:27Santi Cazorla takes a shot. Comfortable save by Gerhard Tremmel.
45:01The match restarts for the second half.
45:00 +0:07 Half timeHalf Time The match has reached half-time.
44:35Headed effort on goal by Yao Gervinho from inside the penalty box misses to the right of the target.
43:20The assistant referee flags for offside against Itay Shechter. Direct free kick taken by Per Mertesacker.
41:31Free kick awarded for a foul by Jack Wilshere on Itay Shechter. Free kick taken by Miguel Michu.
40:21Santi Cazorla concedes a free kick for a foul on Miguel Michu. Ben Davies restarts play with the free kick.
37:49Unfair challenge on Leon Britton by Jack Wilshere results in a free kick. Free kick taken by Leon Britton.
36:13Unfair challenge on Miguel Michu by Mikel Arteta results in a free kick. Jonathan de Guzman fires a strike on goal direct from the free kick.
30:07Nathan Dyer takes a shot. Blocked by Thomas Vermaelen. Corner taken right-footed by Jonathan de Guzman, clearance made by Mikel Arteta.
28:34Sung-Yeung Ki gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Mikel Arteta. Jack Wilshere takes the direct free kick.
28:11Santi Cazorla takes a shot. Gerhard Tremmel makes a comfortable save.
26:45Itay Shechter is penalised for a handball. Per Mertesacker takes the direct free kick.
26:30Lukas Podolski takes a shot. Blocked by Chico.
25:28Free kick awarded for a foul by Angel Rangel on Yao Gervinho. Jack Wilshere takes the direct free kick.
22:10Itay Shechter is caught offside. Wojciech Szczesny takes the free kick.
21:31Unfair challenge on Nathan Dyer by Kieran Gibbs results in a free kick. Free kick crossed right-footed by Sung-Yeung Ki.
20:22Free kick awarded for a foul by Jack Wilshere on Jonathan de Guzman. Leon Britton takes the direct free kick.
17:15Corner taken by Theo Walcott played to the near post, Miguel Michu manages to make a clearance.
13:43Angel Rangel takes a shot. Save by Wojciech Szczesny. Angel Rangel takes a shot. Save by Wojciech Szczesny. Outswinging corner taken from the right by-line by Jonathan de Guzman, Per Mertesacker manages to make a clearance.
12:19The official flags Angel Rangel offside. Kieran Gibbs takes the free kick.
10:12Corner taken right-footed by Theo Walcott from the right by-line, save by Gerhard Tremmel.
8:34Effort from outside the penalty box by Carl Jenkinson goes wide left of the target.
6:01Itay Shechter is caught offside. Wojciech Szczesny restarts play with the free kick.
4:25Thomas Vermaelen challenges Miguel Michu unfairly and gives away a free kick. Free kick taken by Jonathan de Guzman.
3:48Jonathan de Guzman gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Jack Wilshere. Per Mertesacker takes the direct free kick.
0:00The match gets underway.
Live text and data provided by The Press Association
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Comment number 295.
Topside Highbury3rd December 2012 - 18:24
Referencing another Arsenal article...who is Steve Bound BBC? A bit of proof reading maybe, and less reliance on spellcheck might help to create the impression of a bit more professionalism. Also, those who say spending big is the answer need only look at Swansea and WBA to see it's quality not cost that makes good transfers.
Link to this (Comment number 295)
Comment number 294.
Paddylama3rd December 2012 - 17:34
Swansea present a fantastic model of what can be achieved with limited resources, a consistent philosophy and an attitude where the team comes first above individual stardom.
Link to this (Comment number 294)
Comment number 293.
RVPISAG3rd December 2012 - 14:27
I am usually a staunch defender of Arsenal, but that home defeat to a depleted Swansea who played offensive football was indefensible. That does not mean Wenger should go. What do people think another manager will for with this team? We are luckily still only 5 points off 3rd, after all Chelsea, West Brom, Newcastle and Everton are stuttering too. Our next 4 fixtures MUST return 10 points minimum!
Link to this (Comment number 293)
Comment number 292.
thrash4ever3rd December 2012 - 14:25
An owner with no ambition poised to suck the Club dry; a greedy, gutless board; a kowtowing manager using the excuse of lack of expenditure as a principled 'stand' against the bottomless pits of cash... Football has changed, move on. You need to spend a bit. No longer can you expect to unearth a Patrick Vieira for less that 15 million. And now counter-attacking is vilified as anti-football!? Joke!
Link to this (Comment number 292)
Comment number 291.
Seqenenre3rd December 2012 - 13:17
Saturday was the ultimate disgrace.
Link to this (Comment number 291)
Comments 5 of 295