Arsenal bow out of cup to Chelsea

Arsenal's lack of depth was evident as they faced a strong Chelsea side on Tuesday night. It was an extremely frustrating performance in which an individual error and then a great strike cost us a place in the next round of the League Cup. Two Spaniards, Azpilicueta and Juan Mata were on the score sheet for Chelsea as they comfortably beat us at the Emirates. Chelsea, having played Man City at the weekend were surely in a worse position to play us but they have great depth which allowed them to change their team around and still look good. Arsenal, however, was a different story. We were forced into making changes due to the fact that we have the likes of Liverpool and Man United coming up in the League.

Arsenal lost for the second time in a week with defeat to Chelsea

Overall I wasn't too fussed about the League Cup as we're top of the League. Losing to Chelsea is not a nice way to go out though, especially when we put in as bad a performance as we did. The first negative of many that I will pick up on was Nicklas Bendtner. I featured the Dane in an article back in September where it pointed out that he was willing to give everything for Arsenal this season. On last nights evidence though you wouldn't have thought that was the case. Against West Brom in the last round of the League Cup he wasn't brilliant but tucked away a penalty and then against Norwich when he came on in the League he had a pretty effective cameo performance. However this time around he was pretty awful and we were once again left questioning why he was still at the club. The reason is simple, because we didn't buy a striker in the summer. He had very little impact on the game and to be brutally honest it was like we were playing with 10 men for large periods of the game. In the second half when we were chasing the game he was eight yards out from goal and instead of shooting passed the ball away from goal. Whether this was due to a lack of confidence or not realising quite how much space he had, in that position against Chelsea, you just have to bury the chance.

I was willing to give Bendtner a chance last night but he failed to come up trumps and the need for a striker in January became even more evident. If Giroud gets injured then we really are stuck for ideas upfront. Park Ju Young even came on with 8 minutes to go, only his seventh appearance for the club after Wenger said he'd impressed in training but that didn't really fill the fans with excitement either.

The next negative is that of Carl Jenkinson. He made a mistake for the first goal which sparked absolutely fury. He has been ever improving since his arrival at the club and put in some fairly solid performances when Sagna has been injured. However his consistency is a major talking point and playing him alongside Ryo Miyaichi, a player I'll get onto a bit later, it was always going to cause problems against Chelsea. He looked very nervous, and questions were raised as to whether he was ready for proper first team action. Maybe a loan spell will do him good, but that would mean getting a right back on board to challenge Sagna who is long overdue a new contract with the club.

On to Ryo Miyaichi. He's been in and out of the first team this season following loan spells with other clubs in previous campaigns. At Wigan last season his opportunities to play were extremely limited due to injuries which have really hindered his development. However Wenger has praised his attitude to improve which should only mean he gets better. Against Chelsea he didn't really have the space needed for a fast winger to exploit and was often crowded out meaning he couldn't perform to his best. Against West Brom in the last round he was one of our better players always looking to get at a man and cause them problems. He just simply wasn't able to do that against better opposition last night though. One plus point to his game which I've picked up on is his ability to track back. When I've seen him play he's always got back and helped out the full back defensively, something that you don't always see in a winger.

The few positives that came from the game were the fact that Koscielny and Vermaelen had a solid game despite conceding 2 goals. Vermaelen looks to be re-discovering his form and hopefully that'll make him stay following a move with a link away from the club. Santi Cazorla having just come back from injury looks to have his touch back and looks in form whilst Nacho Monreal following a few sub appearances put in a decent shift at left back. He's very able competition for Gibbs. We now need a Monreal type signing at right back to provide Sagna with competition following Jenkinson's inconsistency.

It hasn't been a great start to our run of tough fixtures, losing to Dortmund, only just beating Palace and now losing to Chelsea. Liverpool is to come at the weekend, a top of the table clash which is absolutely must win. If we do win then this defeat can be quickly forgotten. However if we lose then the negative spiral will continue and the players confidence may well be hindered.

The teams lineups:

Arsenal: Fabianski, Jenkinson, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Monreal, Ramsey(82), Wilshere, Rosicky, Cazorla, Miyaichi(64), Bendtner(69). 
Subs: Viviano, Sagna, Hayden, Yennaris, Ozil(64), Park(82), Giroud(69).

Chelsea: Schwarzer, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Luiz, Bertrand, Essien, Mikel, De Bruyne, Mata(90), Willian, Eto'o(82).
Subs: Blackman, Ivanovic, Kalas(90), Ramires, Hazard, Torres, Ba(82).

My man of the match: Santi Cazorla.

Referee: Phil Dowd.
Attendance: 59,455.

Ten men Arsenal beat Crystal Palace to stay top

Arsenal against relegation threatened Crystal Palace. A game that should've been as one sided as a game of football could get. Palace had only won one game all season whilst Arsenal had only lost once in the League. However it was far from a thrashing as Crystal Palace caused Arsenal problems and weren't clinical whilst the Gunners fired home twice, despite having a man sent off. The win ensured they remained on top of the Premier League. With a tough run of games coming up the win added extra significance and it was a surprise to see a fully strength team out, some of the players looked absolutely shattered at full time. Chelsea on Tuesday in the League Cup will be a good chance to rest a few players with Liverpool coming up next weekend.

Mikel Arteta scored from the spot but was later sent off

Having lost in the week for only the second time in 25 games it was a real test of character for the side but they did well to bounce back and showed the brilliant spirit these bunch of players have. Arsenal had really missed Mathieu Flamini in the week but he was back in the starting line-up for this game, albeit for only 8 minutes. He went off with a groin problem leaving a hole in the middle of the park. Serge Gnabry came on and did well but he was out wide which left Ramsey and Arteta in the holding roles. Arsenal had dominated the first ten minutes but when Flamini went off Palace stepped their game up.

Marouane Chamakh was back against his old club for Palace and he was finding space and was holding the ball up well. He had a chance from the edge of the area which was saved by Szczesny and then he had a brilliant chance to head home from 6 yards out but he failed to make contact with the ball. The hole that had been left by the departing Flamini was evident as that was where the home side's pressure was predominantly coming from.

As the first half drew to a close Palace were looking the most likely to score, Arsenal were sloppy in and around the penalty area and the short passes they'd been allowed to do against Norwich were not coming off against a tightly knitted Palace defence.

Serge Gnabry was very lively when he came on. He could've won a penalty at the end of the first half but the referee deemed it to be just outside when replays showed that it was just inside. A tough call but the referee made up for it right at the start of the second half. Serge Gnabry cut back and was then brought down by a silly challenge from Guedioura. All of Palace's hard work in the first half had been undone as Arteta cooly dispatched his penalty. 

The game was to then turn again just after the hour mark. Crystal Palace cleared the ball down field from a corner and Chamakh found himself in acres of space. Arteta raced back and as Chamakh pushed the ball in front of him he leant into the Arsenal skipper resulting in a tangle of legs. The referee deemed the challenge to be worthy of a red card and the man that had opened the scoring was sent off. A debatable call as Chamakh still had 40 odd yards to run to goal and Ramsey was tracking back too. Wenger would make 2 changes to combat the red card. Gnabry was brought off having come on in the first half and Wilshere came on. Meanwhile Monreal replaced Santi Cazorla.

Cue a moment of brilliance and a match winning display from Wojciech Szczesny which earned him man of the match. Joel Ward hit a powerful effort which had Szczesny at full stretch to get fingertips to the ball to send it against the bar. From the resulting corner the ball came out to Jedinak who hit a brilliant volley which the Polish keeper made an outstanding save to keep his side in front. Szczesny has been criticised a lot this year for a lack of confidence as Arsenal searched for a new keeper this summer. He had a spell out of the team for Fabianski last season, however this performance, with a clean sheet will have done his confidence a world of good. A display that asserted himself as the number one at the club.

Crystal Palace were desperate for an equalising goal but in the process were hit on the counter attack as Arsenal scored their second to wrap up all three points. Two of Arsenal's star men this season combined as Ramsey dinked the ball into Giroud who headed home from close range. Having had a run of games without scoring it was a welcome sight to see the Frenchman score in midweek against Dortmund and in the league against Palace.

Overall it wasn't a highly convincing performance but the Gunners were solid at the back and grabbed only their second clean sheet of the season, the other one coming against Spurs. A win is a win and it showed that Arsenal were capable of winning even when they're not at their best.

The teams lineups:

Crystal Palace: Speroni, Ward, Delaney, Gabbidon, Moxey, Dikgacoi, Jedinak, Bannan(77), Guedioura(72), Thomas(57), Chamakh.
Subs: Price, Mariappa, O'Keefe, Kebe(72), Puncheon, Bolasie(57), Gayle(77).

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Arteta, Flamini(8), Ramsey, Ozil, Cazorla(72), Giroud.
Subs: Fabianski, Vermaelen, Monreal(72), Wilshere(69), Rosicky, Gnabry(8)(69), Bendtner. 

My man of the match: Wojciech Szczesny.

Referee: Chris Foy.
Attendance: 20,050.  

Arsenal suffer first loss in group against Dortmund

Arsenal's lengthy unbeaten run has finally come to an end. Borussia Dortmund, last years beaten finalists proved to be too much for an inform Gunners side as they lost 2-1. Although not really playing badly, the game looked to be heading for a draw despite Arsenal dominating in the second half. However Lewandowski popped up with a heart breaking winner with eight minutes remaining. Giroud was the Arsenal scorer as he equalised just before the break when Mkhitaryan had opened the scoring for the German side. It was a bad way to lose the game when we'd played so well for long periods of the game. Arsenal made two changes from the side that thumped Norwich at the weekend. Ramsey started this time in place of Flamini who wasn't involved at all through injury whilst Rosicky started against his former club in place of Cazorla.

Olivier Giroud got himself on the score sheet but it wasn't enough as Arsenal lost

The last time these two sides met the score line was a reverse result as Arsenal ran out victors. Both sides had very different lineups that day almost 2 years ago. Both now have better sides but there was no repeat of last time out as the German side ran out victors. The result left 3 sides, Arsenal, Dortmund and Napoli all on 6 points in the 'Group of Death'.

There were still positives to find from the game despite the defeat. Mikel Arteta played his best game in an Arsenal shirt this season making 11 successful tackles in a man of the match display from the skipper. Compared to recent weeks when he'd been paired with Flamini in the middle it was a much more reassuring performance as he was next to Ramsey. However that somewhat limited Ramsey's performance a bit. Against weaker opposition on Saturday it worked perfectly fine but this time against a much stronger side it didn't quite have the same effect. Ramsey, despite all the plaudits he has rightly received so far this season was at fault for the first goal. Perhaps suffering from over confidence he tried to dribble the ball out of defence instead of finding Szczesny or just kicking the ball forward. He lost possession which gave Mkhitaryan the chance to bury a shot from the edge of the area. The Welshman looked very tired and it will be no surprise if he is rested against Palace.

Although Flamini was missed the main players that were missed in this game and have been in recent weeks are the wide players. Having Walcott, Podolski and Oxlade-Chamberlain all out injured has caused problems when we've needed width. It's been fine in the league where we've scored some excellent goals by playing a narrower game. However against a stronger side in Dortmund we lacked a real outlet who would get running at the defence and stretch them. Someone like Walcott would've been an ideal player in this fixture. Santi Cazorla was brilliant when he came on out wide. The Spaniard changed the pace of the game and hit the bar with a curling effort from the edge of the box. The fact we didn't have an out an out wide player lead to us conceding what ended up as the winner. Dortmund caught us out on the break and with Sagna effectively playing as a right wing back he was left stranded in attack as Grosskreutz crossed for Lewandowski at the back post to slide home. Had Sagna been further back then the goal could've been easily prevented.You could argue that Lewandowski was lucky to even be on the pitch. The pole could've easily been sent off for elbowing Koscielny in the face.

Saying that, when Sagna did get a chance to go forward he did well. He supplied the cross for Giroud's goal. The Frenchman wanted it a little more than the Dortmund keeper and he nipped in to then smash the ball home from close range. It was a game of ifs and maybes; Rosicky had a chance cleared off the line in the first half whilst as I said Cazorla struck the bar. On another night Lewandowski may well have seen red too. Enough of the excuses though, Arsenal lacked a little bit of maturity and errors caused us to in turn lose the game when they could easily have got something from the game.

It was a tough result to take but it's only our 2nd loss in 25 matches. There's still plenty to be positive about, we're still top of the Premier League and you can back Arsenal to bounce back against Crystal Palace on Saturday lunchtime. Hopefully the players won't dwell on this performance and will take on board the mistakes they made and look to cut them out. Tougher tests potentially lie ahead in the next few weeks. We play Chelsea in the League Cup in a weeks time whilst Liverpool, Manchester United and Dortmund away are up and coming.

The teams lineups:

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Ramsey(87), Arteta, Wilshere(59), Ozil, Rosicky(90), Giroud.
Subs: Fabianski, Vermaelen, Jenkinson, Monreal, Cazorla(59), Gnabry(90), Bendtner(87). 

Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller, Grosskreutz, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer, Bender, Sahin, Blaszczykowski(68), Mkhitaryan(68), Reus(87), Lewandowski. 
Subs: Langerak, Kirch, Papastathopoulos(87), Durm, Hofmann(68), Aubameyang(68), Schieber. 

My man of the match: Mikel Arteta

Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE)
Attendance: 60,011

Arsenal see off Norwich with brilliant attacking display

Arsenal put in a breath taking attacking display as they beat Norwich 4-1 in their first match after the international break. Wilshere and Ramsey scored once more whilst Mesut Ozil netted twice to seal a comfortable victory at the Emirates. The win sent the Gunners 2 points clear at the top of the Premier League. The performance displayed real intent and perhaps showed that Arsenal should be up there come the end of the season. In terms of the line-up there were 2 changes from the side that beat West Brom before the break. Sagna replaced Jenkinson and there was a welcome return for Santi Cazorla as he came in for the rested Ramsey who was on the bench.

Ozil and Ramsey ran the show as Arsenal beat Norwich

Arsenal's first goal came from Jack Wilshere and what a goal it was. The Englishman has taken some stick this season for his performance as mentioned in my last match report but he has now scored 2 goals in successive games for the first time in his career. The goal though really had to be seen to be believed. Jack Wilshere gathered the ball just outside his own box and then picked out Gibbs. He then played it to Cazorla down the line. He played a one-two with Wilshere before playing another one with Giroud which combined 3 lovely flicks before the midfielder casually slotted past Ruddy.

Arsenal were to dominate most of the possession in the first half but when Flamini had to go off with concussion the Gunners lost their fluidity a bit, despite the in form Aaron Ramsey coming on. Ramsey was to put in a fantastic display and it was probably just as well he did actually come on. Everything happens for a reason right? The Welshman was presented with the ball just inside the area, he was to then dance past 2 players, leaving 3 Norwich players on the floor before poking the ball under Ruddy for his ninth goal of the campaign! Ramsey was to go close on two more occasions but Ruddy was equal to them.

The other two goals were scored by marquee signing Mesut Ozil as he grabbed his first 2 league goals. They were also both well worked goals. The German's first was a header, the first of his career. Ozil was brought to provide Giroud with crosses but it was role reversal as the Frenchman played in a lovely ball for Arsenal's number 11 to glance home. His second was well worked play once more. Rosicky crossed for Ramsey at the back post and then he cut it back for Ozil who couldn't miss. It was a near perfect afternoon for a man that has looked right at home since his move from Real Madrid. I've said this before, but how they could let a player of his quality leave is beyond me. Arsenal's talisman now has 3 goals and 4 assist in his seven games in the red and white. 

Wenger's subs all had an impact and a lot of credit for the performance has to be given to him. Ramsey did brilliantly when he came on, albeit he was a forced sub, but Rosicky did well, crossing for Ozil's second as mentioned whilst Nicklas Bendtner even turned in a cameo performance. He sprung the finger tips of Ruddy on one occasion and then played a part in the fourth goal.

In terms of the goal we conceded it was a little sloppy but nothing to get too worried about. A routine cross was sliced horribly by Per Mertesacker, a rare error from him and then Howson seized on the chance as he fired past Szczesny from 18 yards out. All in all there is a lot to be positive about. The recent AGM showed that Arsenal are a club with ambition and are looking to spend and win trophies. Shouldn't that be the case every season though? Despite wanting that it's something that we haven't really competed with throughout the last 8 years.

Dortmund is our next game in midweek and they should provide us with our sternest test yet as we look to extend our lead at the top of the supposed 'Group of Death' in this seasons Champions League.

The teams lineups:

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Arteta, Flamini(38), Ozil, Wilshere, Cazorla(59), Giroud(78). 
Subs: Fabianski, Monreal, Jenkinson, Ramsey(38), Rosicky(59), Bendtner(78). 

Norwich: Ruddy, Martin, Turner, Bassong, Olsson, Tettey(78), Snodgrass, Howson, Fer, Pilkington(71), Hooper.
Subs: Bunn, Whittaker, Bennett,  Johnson, Hoolahan(78), Redmond(71), Becchio.

My man of the match: Mesut Ozil

Referee: Lee Probert
Attendance: 60,009

Arsenal's Youngsters: Kristoffer Olsson

To add to the weekly match reports and reviews on this site, I've decided to add something different on a weekly or fortnightly basis. I will be adding a series in which I'll take a look into the club's younger players giving you a detailed analysis on the way they play, if they have a future at the club, and how their career, albeit their short career so far, has gone.

For the first in the series, I'll be taking a look into 18 year old Swedish midfielder Kristoffer Olsson. Olsson is a naturally gifted play maker and is tipped to be a star for the future by Wenger and other members of the coaching team at Arsenal.

When Olsson was 13 he was invited for a trial at Chelsea, however he didn't turn up and eventually ended up at Swedish side, IFK Norrköping. 3 years later he was being chased by both Juventus and Ajax but chose Arsenal instead as he moved to England for £200,000.

Kris Olsson in action against CSKA Moscow in last season's NextGen series

Olsson made his first team debut in 2012 in the Markus Liebherr Cup, hosted at St. Mary's, Southampton. Arsenal were victors in the Competition as Olsson played and scored in the penalty shoot-out, aged 17, as the Gunners beat Southampton. The same season saw Olsson as a regular in Terry Burton's U21 side. He featured in the U21 league whilst also playing a part in the Gunners run in the NextGen series. Overall the Swede played 24 times +5 sub appearances, scoring 2 goals.

2013, so far, has been his break through campaign. He was given a place on the side's Asia Tour. He featured 2 times on the tour, scoring in Arsenal's first match against an Indonesian XI and then coming on as a sub against Vietnam. The 18 year old was to then make his full competitive debut in September. He came on as a sub as Arsenal beat West Brom on penalties in the League Cup. Olsson was one of the penalty takers and emphatically scored his.

Olsson has great potential and has the capabilities of turning into a first team player at Arsenal with hard work. In my opinion I think he could turn into a good squad player. I've seen him in action once when the U21's played a pre-season match against Chesham last season and he looked like an accomplished player. He is very assured on the ball and is a good passer from what I've seen. As with many midfield players, if he was to add goals to his game, then he could become a very very good player. Arsenal's previous Swedish players have included a club legend Freddie Ljungberg, and a player that didn't turn out as well, Seb Larsson. Which one Kris will turn out to be more like in terms of his Arsenal career remains to be seen though.

Video of Kris Olsson in action last season:

Arsenal come from behind at West Brom to remain top

Arsenal came from behind on Sunday afternoon as they drew 1-1 with West Brom at the Hawthorns. Jack Wilshere had a poor first half but came back with a bang in the second half as his deflected effort was enough to see his side back to the top of the table. It wasn't a great performance but the Gunners didn't deserve any more or less than their draw. Having put in a top display against Napoli in the week it was no surprise to see that some of the players looked a little tired. Credit to West Brom though who didn't sit back and were full of confidence having beaten Man United last weekend. Arsenal had recently played their opponents in the League Cup where penalties were the deciding factor. There was none of that this time as the two sides had to settle for a draw.

There were two changes to the line-up from the win over Napoli. Jack Wilshere came back in place of Rosicky whilst Jenkinson came in for the injured Sagna. Nicklas Bendtner came off the bench as he made his first Arsenal league appearance in over 2 years.

Jack Wilshere scored as he put a difficult few days behind him

The first half saw an end to end game but Arsenal's defence switched off momentarily after a corner just before the break. That allowed Claudio Yacob to head home at the near post for his first strike in English football.West Brom and former Gunner Nicolas Anelka had two chances to seal the game in the second half though. First he failed to make a good enough contact from Berahino's cross and secondly fired wide of the far post when having acres of time and space.

Jack Wilshere had been a talking point leading up to the game. He had been pictured smoking outside a club. Something that Wenger was quick to address and said that the behavior wasn't acceptable. Wilshere also responded. He tweeted that he doesn't smoke and that it had been a mistake. His reaction on the pitch wasn't so good though. Since his injury he hasn't really been able to discover his best form. In recent months, football fans have slated him and claimed that he's over rated. As much as that may be the case, his talent is clear for all to see.

In the first half he put in what probably is his worst performance in an Arsenal shirt. Out of position on the left, a position he'd played in earlier in his career, he had little impact. He didn't give the team much width and looked to come inside far too often. His drive and the pace at which he runs with the ball has been one of his major assets but it's been faltering recently. He's often taken too big a touch and has lost the ball and run straight into trouble. In the second half when Rosicky was brought on and Ramsey came off, Wilshere was allowed back into his preferred central role. He all of a sudden looked a completely different player. He scored the goal which got Arsenal a point with a fine strike, albeit it was deflected. Meanwhile he played the pass of the match at one point to split the defence and set Giroud up with a chance to score.

Wilshere could have problems getting into the squad when every first team midfielder is fit. On form he doesn't merit a place in my opinion. However Wenger admires him and said after the smoking incident that the young midfielder will always be a part of his plans at the club.

One thing's for sure though, Jack Wilshere is certainly a player that will not dwell on his mistakes on and off the pitch and will continue to remain confident in what he does.

The teams line-ups:

West Brom: Myhill, Jones, McAuley, Olsson, Ridgewell, Yacob, Mulumbu, Amalfitano(89), Sessegnon(78), Berahino, Anelka(69).
Subs: Daniels, Popov, Lugano, Morrison(78), Brunt(89), Rosenberg, Long(69).

Arsenal: Szczesny, Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Arteta, Flamini, Ramsey(58), Ozil, Wilshere, Giroud(85).
Subs: Fabianski, Vermaelen, Monreal, Rosicky(58), Gnabry, Ryo, Bendtner(85). 

 Referee: Lee Mason
Attendance: 24,839

Arsenal dominate Napoli as Ozil scores first goal

Arsenal put in one of their most convincing and best performances in a very long time as they defeated Napoli 2-0. It was a dominant display that sent out a message to the rest of Europe that Arsenal are certainly not to be taken lightly this season. Mesut Ozil opened the scoring with his first goal in the red and white. He then assisted the second, scored by Olivier Giroud. It was perhaps one of the best displays of football, excluding Barcelona, since we've moved to the Emirates. The game was a very different story to that of when they played each other in the Emirates Cup as they drew 2-2.

The stars of the show; Ozil celebrates his goal with Ramsey

The match marked the anniversary of 17 years in charge for Wenger - it was a perfect way to celebrate it. Top of the Premier League and now top of the supposed group of death in this season's Champions League. It could've not have gone much better considering we lost our very first game of the season, lets not go back to that though.

Both of Arsenal's goals came in the first fifteen minutes as Napoli didn't know what had hit them. Aaron Ramsey didn't get on the score sheet this time but he assisted the first goal. He got down the right hand side and then picked out Ozil in acres of space. The German then hit a sweet volley with his left foot into the corner of the net. It was great technique from a great player. Ramsey and Ozil himself had linked up brilliantly all game and it was as though they'd been playing together for years, let alone a single month!

The other goal was a welcomed one for Oliver Giroud as he grabbed his sixth of the season following going 4 games without one. It was the Frenchman who started the move off. Laying the ball to Ozil who got to the byline and then slid the ball into Giroud who couldn't miss. That was Ozil's fifth assist since joining the club, 2 of which were put away by Arsenal's main striker, Olivier Giroud. He certainly is looking a different man from last season.

Another man who put in a superb display in the middle of the park was Mathieu Flamini. Many had doubted as to why Wenger had brought him back but he's been committed, passionate and hard-working. He's exactly what we've been missing since he himself, had left 5 years ago. Rosicky made his comeback from injury as he played out on the left flank and played a solid 60 odd minutes. Mikel Arteta started as he continued his recovery from an injury that had kept him out of many of this season's early matches.

The teams lineups:

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Arteta, Flamini, Ramsey(88), Rosicky(63), Ozil, Giroud. 
Subs: Fabianski, Vermaelen, Monreal(88), Jenkinson, Wilshere(63), Gnabry, Bendtner. 

Napoli: Reina, Albiol(83), Britos, Zuniga, Inler, Behrami, Hamsik, Insigne, Mesto, Pandev(61), Callejon(77).   
Subs: Cabral, Fernandez(83), Armero, Cannavaro, Mertens(61), Dzemali, Zapata(77).

My man of the match: Mesut Ozil

Referee: Milorad Mazic (SRB)
Attendance: 59,536

Gnabry grabs first senior goal as Arsenal beat Swansea

Arsenal put in a resilient performance as Serge Gnabry grabbed his first senior goal in a 2-1 win over Swansea. Aaron Ramsey was once again on the scoresheet as he silenced the Welsh crowd that had been booing him all game. After a dull first half the Gunners came back fighting and thanks to other results going their way, they extended their lead at the top of the table to 2 points. The side was unchanged from the team that had beaten Stoke last weekend with the only change being on the bench as Fabianski replaced Viviano. The Liberty Stadium is a tough place to go and Arsenal have slipped up there in recent games. It was the seventh meeting between the two sides in a little over 2 years but Arsenal came out on top this time.

Serge Gnabry capped off a brilliant week by scoring in the win against Swansea

The first chance of the game fell to Per Mertesacker. He was full of confidence after his goal last weekend but this time his header bounced wide.

Aaron Ramsey then came close after Flamini laid him off but the Welshman's driven strike went inches wide.

Swansea's first chance came thanks to a poor back pass which put Szczesny under pressure. His touch was poor and Michu stole in. However the ball went out of play, but only just, denying Swansea what probably would've been a certain goal.

The score at half time was 0-0.

Arsenal's best chance so far came minutes into the second half. Gnabry did well to find Giroud who then fired wide of the far post.

Szczesny and Michu then went toe-to-toe again but this time the Pole rushed out and got to the ball ahead of the Spaniard.

With the game looking as though it would be a draw due to the lack of chances, Arsenal grabbed the opener. Ramsey slipped a lovely reverse ball into Serge Gnabry who then stroked the ball home for his first Arsenal goal. It was quite a come back from the man who played 120 minutes in the week against West Brom and missed a penalty.

Just before the hour mark it was almost two. Ramsey surged through the middle of the park and then found Ozil but his shot was poor and Vorm kept it out.

Nathan Dyer then had a chance to spread his legs as he struck a shot from the edge of the area which deflected off Koscielny and forced Szczesny into making a great save to keep the ball in play.

From that, Arsenal managed to break away. Ozil found Ramsey who flicked the ball onto Wilshere. His determination won himself the ball and then played a one-two with Giroud. The Frenchman laid the ball off to Ramsey who fired home for his eighth goal in nine appearances this season!

Wojciech Szczesny was then forced into making his first real save of the match. Dyer had space on the edge of the area to hit a powerful shot but it was well kept out.

Swansea were pressing for an equaliser as Bony got their next chance after Wilshere gave the ball away. However his chance from a tight angle was saved at the near post.

The hosts were to find a goal though. Bony clipped the ball over the defence into Ben Davies who found the net with nine minutes remaining.

It was to be a nervy finish as the Swans looked for an equaliser. However Arsenal remained solid at the back and held on for all three points.

The final score finished Swansea 1-2 Arsenal.

The teams lineups:

Swansea: Vorm, Tiendalli, Chico, Amat, Davies, Canas, Shelvey(61), Dyer, De Guzman, Routledge(64), Michu.
Subs: Tremmel, Taylor, Alfei, Britton, Pozuelo(64), Bony(61), Vazquez.

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Flamini, Ramsey, Ozil(88), Wilshere(90), Gnabry(78), Giroud. 
Subs: Fabianski, Vermaelen, Monreal(88), Jenkinson(90), Arteta(78), Miyaichi, Bendtner. 

My man of the match: Serge Gnabry

Referee: Mark Clattenburg
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