Arsenal were also creating chances and their control of possession steadily grew as the first-half unfolded. Santi Cazorla was excellent in the way he combined his obvious technical skill with a high workrate and forced Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm into action with a dipping shot from just outside the penalty area.
Arsenal's most persistent first-half threat, however, was to come from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on what was his first Premier League start for more than a month. After only five minutes, he sprinted into space behind Rangel and grazed the top of the crossbar with a curling shot. Oxlade-Chamberlain was then again only denied by the width of the crossbar after shooting past Vorm.
The expectation was that Arsenal would build on their momentum during the second-half but they were inexplicably flat on the game's resumption until Wenger introduced both Gervinho and Aaron Ramsey.
Gervinho is a player who attracts significant derision for his wayward finishing but his workrate and intelligent runs do invariably create space for others. Cazorla took advantage when he then cut into the penalty area, with his cross rather fortuitously falling for Nacho Monreal whose scuffed shot crept through a crowded penalty area and past Vorm. Victory was then complete when Ramsey found space behind Swansea's full-backs and, for once, Gervino applied a calm finish to score his Premier League goal since September.
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