Arsenal missed the chance to go fourth in the Premier League after Swansea City came from behind to beat the Gunners 2-1 with two late goals at Liberty Stadium on Sunday.
Victory saw the hosts leapfrog Arsenal into fifth as Arsene Wenger’s side suffered only their second league defeat of the season following their loss to leaders Chelsea.
Arsenal were on course for victory as Alexis Sanchez scored his sixth goal in four games in all competitions when he swept in Danny Welbeck’s cross to seal a flowing counterattack in the 63rd minute.
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However, Swansea equalized 15 minutes from time when Gylfi Sigurdsson curled in a brilliant long-range free-kick that went past the right hand of helpless goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
Barely three minutes later, Swansea were in front, thanks to substitute Bafetimbi Gomis, who had only just been sent on by manager Garry Monk. Gomis put the Swans ahead by rising above the Arsenal defense to head in his first Premier League goal.
It was the second time in a week that the Gunners have squandered a lead, having been 3-0 up before being held to a 3-3 draw at home to RC Anderlecht in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday last week.
“The game was completely in our hands,” Arsenal centerback Per Mertesacker told Sky Sports. “But then we have to play serious football and not make mistakes.
The result left Arsenal 12 points behind Chelsea and a delighted Monk praising Swansea’s spirit.
“We talked about belief before the game, about how good we have been and how good we can be. We showed our character,” he said.
Earlier, Newcastle United’s impressive revival continued with a 2-0 victory away to West Bromwich Albion that put them in eighth place.
Goals from Ayoze Perez and Fabricio Coloccini at The Hawthorns saw Newcastle, who struggled at the start of the season, extend their unbeaten league run to five straight games — a sequence that now includes four successive victories.
Perez put Newcastle ahead on the stroke of halftime when he backheeled Daryl Janmaat’s cross in.
Janmaat was again the provider as Newcastle doubled their lead in the 62nd minute when Magpies captain Coloccini headed in his cross.
One meager consolation for Arsenal was that bitter north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur also lost on Sunday, with Stoke City’s 2-1 win at White Hart Lane seeing the Potters move up into ninth spot.
Former Barcelona star Bojan Krkic scored his first Premier League goal to give Stoke a sixth-minute lead and the visitors were 2-0 up before halftime when Jonathan Walters finished from close range.
Tottenham pulled a goal back in the 77th through Nacer Chadli, but their hopes of a draw were dented when they had to play the final five minutes with 10 men after defender Kyle Naughton was sent off for a crude foul on Victor Moses.
Sunday’s other early kickoff saw Sunderland and Everton share the points in a 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light.
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