On a day dedicated to those who gave their lives at war, the heavens opened and a Swans side without Dyer, Routledge, Fernandez or Shelvey leapfrogged Arsenal in the Premier League table
Josh Kilmister on a fantastic day out at the Liberty Stadium
Come three o’clock I’m sure I wasn’t the only Swans fan scratching my head looking at our starting eleven, with Shelvey out through suspension and Fernandez (calf), Dyer and Routledge (both groin) out through injury. Having four of our key players missing would lead some to say we had a dilemma on our hands, but no! Loanee Tom Carroll stepped in for Shelvey, facing his parent club’s North London Rivals, former Gunner Kyle Bartley took his chance to step up over Jordi Amat (who watched on from the bench) while Marvin Emnes and Jefferson Montero took to the wings in what looked a strangely solid Swansea side.
Montero has shown glimpses of what he can do in previous games, but today I feel he really made the game (and the position) his own. Callum Chambers will be having nightmares for weeks after Jeff made a mockery of the fifteen million pound full-back time and time again. Montero pulled all sorts out of his locker to embarrass the England defender including an exquisite flick and an extra-ordinary back heel. His hard work paid dividends too, earning himself the ‘Man of The Match’ award and assisting Bafe Gomis’ winning goal late on in the game.
Before Gomis came on for Bony, Under 21 star Modou Barrow came on to make his Premier League debut, and boy did he make an impact! Within seconds of replacing Marvin Emnes, - who showed Monk that he too can challenge for a place on the wing - Barrow showed the Liberty crowd what he was capable of with a series of step-overs to get passed Kieran Gibbs. Just minutes later, Arsenal were caught on the break as the Swans’ youngster blitzed through the Gunners’ midfield, only to be taken down twenty-five yards outside the area. Step up, Mr. Gylfi Sigurdsson. After assuring my younger brother that “Gylfi doesn’t miss free kicks” the Icelandic playmaker proved me right, pulling off what Gary Lineker described as a “fabulously struck, perfectly placed free kick” into Szczesny’s top right-hand corner; unstoppable.
After going a goal down to an Arsenal side that perhaps didn’t look as good as they should with the players they have, Monk praised our squad for their “inner belief” and modest as ever, played down any suggestions that it was his substitutions that changed the game. The full-time score would run counter to this however, as Gomis came on to score his first Premier League goal to keep the three points in South Wales. A superb headed effort from an equally impressive Montero cross left the big Pole in Arsenal’s goal motionless as ‘Hymns and Arias’ echoed around the Liberty yet again.
As picked up on in pieces I’ve previously written, our defence is getting better by the game; even Taylor was excellent today! Kyle Bartley grabbed his chance with two hands and used his height excellently when defending set pieces, outmuscling Arsenal captain and World Cup winner Per Mertesaker from every corner. After picking up an early knock it looked likely that Williams might’ve been taken off, but as he has done for years he battled through, using his experience to fight off Arsenal’s late attacks. The Swans captain spoke to the press after the game:
“We’re over the moon. There’s nothing better than feeling tired and covered in bumps and bruises but getting the points.” Ashley Williams
With the international break coming up, Williams amongst others will have to put their bumps and bruises behind them in time for next week’s games, and then for our trip to The Etihad to face Manchester City on the 22nd. Garry Monk has said that he hopes to have Routledge, Dyer and Fernandez back for selection, along with Shelvey who will be back from suspension. I’ve got my ticket, and I can’t wait to see whether Monk will stick with the team who shot down the Gunners, or revert back to our usual starting eleven.
What would you do?
Thanks to Josh as usual for his contribution - give him a follow on Twitter @JoshKilmister. Personally I think you'd be hard pushed to displace anyone who played yesterday, though I'd probably bring Leon back in for Tom Carroll, assuming he's deemed match fit. Would you change anything from the team that beat Arsenal? Get in touch using the comment section below.