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'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.
Arsenal's
Mesut Ozil (L) and Swansea City's Jefferson Montero during their Premier League
ma …
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.
"In
the last two home games we didn't score and that's of course frustrating when
you have so much of the ball, as we did tonight, and you play with such
accuracy around the box.
"But
they defended well. They came just to defend, with four defenders and six
midfielders. They defended, that's it. If you win, you're fantastic. If you
lose people say to you, 'Why did you not play?'"
Having
beaten Arsenal 2-1 at the Liberty Stadium in November, Swansea became only the
second team to do the double over the London club and Manchester United in the
Premier League era after West Ham United (2006-07) and Chelsea (2009-10)
Swansea
manager Garry Monk took exception to Wenger's criticism of his side's approach
and said their victory proved that they have become a more multi-faceted team.
"If
we didn't play, I don't know how we got three points," he said.
"If
you watched all our games, we've won games totally dominating possession. The
number one thing for me is that we try to do that in as many games as possible.
The players know that.
"But
there are times where you have to be adaptable and we've shown that time and
time again this season.
"That's
the double over Arsenal. We've done the double over Manchester United. So if
people don't like it, it's not my problem."
Swansea
are now just one point off seventh place, which will yield a Europa League
place if Arsenal beat Aston Villa in the FA Cup final, and two points off six
place, which is a guaranteed Europa League berth.
But Monk
appeared less than enthused about the prospect of a resource-stretching
European campaign.
"What
will be will be," he said. "It's not my focus. I won't lie in bed
worrying about it.
"The
only thing that will change in that instance will be that the planning for the
summer in terms of recruitment will have to be a lot more, not that the
chairman will want to hear that.
"We've
got two games left. We've got a very difficult game next week against Man City.
We'll have to see where it takes us.
"I'm
not one to deny it if we get there, but if not, it wasn't to be."
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