adminLONDON. — 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.
Arsenal dominated Monday night’s game at the Emirates Stadium, but having been kept at bay by their former goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, they capitulated in the 85th minute when David Ospina was unable to keep out a header from Swansea substitute Bafetimbi Gomis.
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. — AFP.
Online Reporter