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Confidence is running high at Arsenal after they recorded their fifth Premier League win in a row at Swansea, but their Germany international defender Per Mertesacker has warned his team-mates to beware of a backlash from Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.
Goals from Olivier Giroud, Laurent Koscielny and Joel Campbell enabled Arsène Wenger’s side to bounce straight back after their shock midweek defeat by Championship side Sheffield Wednesday in the Capital One Cup.
The win keeps them level on points with leaders Manchester City and was the perfect start to a pivotal week for Wenger’s men, which sees them take on Bayern before welcoming north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur to the Emirates on Sunday.
Arsenal gave themselves a good chance of reaching the Champions League knockout stages with a superb 2-0 win over Pep Guardiola’s side at home two weeks ago, but Mertesacker is wary of the threat Bayern pose.
Show all 22 1 /22Swansea vs Arsenal - player ratings Swansea vs Arsenal - player ratings SWANSEA City - Lukas Fabianski: 4 out of 10 Whether he was pressurised by Koscielny or not he could have done better for the second than flapped the ball into his opponent’s path. It was the only blot on a solid performance, but it was a major one.
Swansea vs Arsenal - player ratings Kyle Naughton: 6 out of 10 Managed the excellent Alexis Sanchez as well as anyone else has this season, sticking close to his opponent and never allowing him to accelerate.
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Swansea vs Arsenal - player ratings Federico Fernandez: 6 out of 10 Fernandez would have every right to be miffed with the performance of his colleagues. He was neat in possession and dealt well with Giroud in the air, everything his team-mates failed to do.
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Swansea vs Arsenal - player ratings Ashley Williams: 4 out of 10 At times he paid too much attention to Ozil, allowing the likes of Giroud and Campbell space to operate between him and Taylor. Completely lost Giroud to head in the opener.
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Swansea vs Arsenal - player ratings Neil Taylor: 5 out of 10 Taylor offered little going forward. That wasn’t always a problem with Montero in such fine form, but the left-back’s passing was poor in the extreme. To cap a poor performanced.
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Swansea vs Arsenal - player ratings Jonjo Shelvey: 6 out of 10 A brilliant through ball for Gomis should have earned Shelvey an assist. He would have thoroughly deserved it for a good display in defence and attack. He tackled well and looked to release his colleagues immediately.
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Swansea vs Arsenal - player ratings Ki Sung-Yueng: 6 out of 10 Brought verticality and drive to the Swansea midfield, combining well with Sigurdsson in the first period to create several opportunities. However in the second period he was too far forward too often as Arsenal streamed forward on the counter.
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Swansea vs Arsenal - player ratings Andre Ayew: 6 out of 10 Popped up across the frontline in search of space with which to create opportunities, however he was well marshalled by Monreal. In the second half he was a spectator as Arsenal dominated the ball.
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Swansea vs Arsenal - player ratings Gylfi Sigurdsson: 5 out of 10 Bar a ten-minute period in the first half we saw next to nothing of the Swansea attacker, who has so enjoyed playing against the Gunners in the past. One free-kick fired straight into the wall was about his only notable contribution.
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Swansea vs Arsenal - player ratings Jefferson Montero: 7 At times the Swansea winger can be simply unplayable; there were moments when there was nothing Bellerin could do to slow Montero. His team-mates should have converted one of the three or four opportunities he provided for them in the first half.
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Swansea vs Arsenal - player ratings Bafetimbi Gomis: 5 Grew into the game after a slow first few minutes, but looked too nervous and desperate to end his six-game drought. Missing an open goal killed his confidence and from then on he was to be found five yards offside on a regular basis.
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Swansea vs Arsenal - player ratings ARSENAL: Petr Cech: 7 out of 10 As Swansea fired cross after cross into the box Cech was as reliable as ever, commanding his area with authority. It must provide his team-mates with such confidence to know they can rely on their keeper to get everything right
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Swansea vs Arsenal - player ratings Hector Bellerin: 8 out of 10 Saved what was a certain goal with scarcely credible pace to nip the ball off Gomis’ toes. Then did it again against Ayew (though he wasn’t to know that the midfielder was offside). Bellerin was far from the only full-back this season to struggle with the pace of Montero but, as against Douglas Costa recently, he kept coming back and challenging for the ball.
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Swansea vs Arsenal - player ratings Per Mertesacker: 5 out of 10 Another insipid display by the Arsenal captain, who was nowhere to be seen as Gomis got behind the backline. He was exceptionally lucky to avoid a penalty when he handled a free-kick in the area. With the in-form Gabriel on the bench there must be question marks about whether he remains the best option.
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Swansea vs Arsenal - player ratings Laurent Koscielny: 7 out of 10 For the most part dealt manfully with an impressive Gomis, staying strong and forcing his opponent away from goal. Another goal at an important moment capped a very good display by the Frenchman.
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Swansea vs Arsenal - player ratings Nacho Monreal: 7 out of 10 Bombed forward on a more regular basis than he has in recent weeks, and perhaps should have given Arsenal an early lead when he had a shot in the area. Further back he kept the often dangerous Ayew quiet and never put a foot wrong.
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Swansea vs Arsenal - player ratings Santi Cazorla: 6 out of 10 The Spanish playmaker was well marshalled by Shelvey and Ki, meaning he struggled to play an influential role in open play. After Arsenal’s goal he became more important as a conductor of the visitor’s counters, bringing the ball forward and making the right decision.
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Swansea vs Arsenal - player ratings Francis Coquelin: 7 out of 10 Took on greater creative responsibility as the Swansea midfield pressed Ozil and Cazorla, something he showed real aptitude at. Kept a close eye on the dangerous Gylfi Sigurdsson and provided vital support to the backline.
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Swansea vs Arsenal - player ratings Joel Campbell: 6 out of 10 Full of energy and willingness on his first league start, but showed why he is so low in the pecking order with heavy touches and loose passing early on. Took his goal well but didn’t quite do enough to suggest he would be a regular when everyone is fit.
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Swansea vs Arsenal - player ratings Mesut Ozil: 8 out of 10 Another quite wonderful display from the German, who picked up two assists both at decisive moments. His ability to find space is greater than that of any other in the league, and it allows him to create chances at will. The delivery for Giroud’s opener was superb, the cross for Campbell even better.
Swansea vs Arsenal - player ratings Alexis Sanchez: 6 out of 10 Looked far fresher than he has of late after a week’s break, but was managed well by Naughton. He didn’t quite find the cutting edge he has displayed of late, as when he headed over from close range.
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Swansea vs Arsenal - player ratings Olivier Giroud: 7 out of 10 A display full of character from the striker, who looked to be struggling early on. He blazed over in space and picked up a hard knock on the stroke of half-time. He roared back in the second period, heading in well to give the Gunners a lead.
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“They [Bayern] will be angry,” said Mertesacker, who returned to captain the side at the Liberty Stadium after missing the 2-1 win over Everton. “We were the first team who really challenged them and beat them.
“We showed we can beat them, that’s a good sign, but it will be a different game at their place. They will try to show they are better than us. It will be a tough game.”
Despite Saturday’s scoreline, Arsenal did not have things all their own way. Swansea dominated the first half but French striker Bafétimbi Gomis wasted a glorious chance to put Garry Monk’s side ahead midway through the half when he hesitated after being put through on goal by Jonjo Shelvey.
The visitors regained their composure after the break, but Mertesacker admits they have not yet shown they are genuine title contenders.
“We haven’t proved anything yet, we have to take it game by game,” he said. “Over the last couple of years we lost a few games, especially away from home, and it looked different at the top of the table.”
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