Arsenal vs. Swansea: Score, Reaction from 2016 Premier League Match

Swansea provided a crushing blow to Arsenal's Premier League title hopes Wednesday with a shocking 2-1 win at Emirates Stadium.

Wayne Routledge and Ashley Williams scored for the Swans, who survived a first-half barrage from the Gunners and took advantage of some defensive mistakes to earn all three points. It's a crucial result that moves them six points clear of the relegation zone.  

They managed the victory despite finding out earlier in the day that manager Francesco Guidolin would miss the fixture while recovering from a chest infection in the hospital, as Phil Smith of Wales Online reported. Alan Curtis filled the void.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have nobody to blame but themselves. Losing an away fixture to Manchester United over the weekend is partly understandable, but losing a home match to an opponent merely trying to avoid relegation isn't the sign of a championship side.

The Gunners had their fair share of chances to take complete control of the match in the first half. They couldn't capitalize, and it came back to haunt them in the end. They are now six points behind league-leading Leicester City with 10 matches to play.

Longtime Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had a simple message for his squad after a forgettable week that featured losses to Barcelona and Manchester United: Fight until the end. He stated Tuesday the belief that a side is never going to lose matches isn't realistic, per Kevin Garside of the Independent:

"

I've fought for that idea for years, that football is unpredictable and teams like Leicester can come in to the top four. At the end of the day let's fight with them. If on the last day of the season they are in front of us we congratulate them and say well done. They can also be behind us so let's fight, and hope they are behind us.

"

His players heeded those words in the early going of Wednesday's fixture. The Gunners were the far more aggressive side at the outset and created several chances, including a shot off the post from Alexis Sanchez before opening the scoring in the 15th minute.

Joel Campbell put Arsenal on the board with a tremendous sliding finish. He made a perfect run into the box before catching a delivery from Sanchez on the half-volley and placing it past Swansea goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski into the far netting.

While the goal represented the spotlight moment, Campbell had been buzzing in the Swans' half quite a bit during the first quarter-hour. Piers Morgan of the Daily Mail commented on the standout start:

Squawka Football noted Sanchez's assist ended an extended drought in league home games:

Any hopes for a routine result were quickly dashed, though. Swansea struck back near the half-hour mark courtesy of Wayne Routledge.

The veteran winger managed to find space between Arsenal defenders after the Swans won a battle for possession just inside the attacking half. Jack Cork picked up the loose ball and provided a pinpoint pass to Routledge, who calmly slotted it by Petr Cech to level the score.

WhoScored.com pointed out it was his first tally in nearly a full season of Premier League appearances:

Neal Collins of the New Age felt a foul should have been called during the midfield encounter:

Arsenal nearly regained the lead right before half-time as Olivier Giroud struck a laser from just outside the six-yard box, but it rose quickly and smashed off the crossbar. It wrapped up a half that saw the Gunners control play in every area except the scoreline.

The second half was at a far more favorable pace for Swansea. They got caught with their back line stretched at times during the more wide-open first half. But they cleaned up those mistakes, and it caused frustration to build for the Gunners as the clock ticked away.

Then the Swans grabbed the lead with just over 15 minutes to play off a set piece. Gylfi Sigurdsson whipped in a heavy, hopeful cross that captain Ashley Williams managed to redirect past Cech, who appeared to get caught in between trying to attack the cross and making the save.

Gunner Blog summed up the overall feeling after half-time:

The home side tried to make one final push to salvage at least a draw in the final minutes, but the effort came up short as Swansea finished the job.

Michael Cox of ESPN FC commented on the result and a possible late injury for Cech:

Add in Tottenham's loss to West Ham, and Bleacher Report UK provided an accurate depiction of the title race with Leicester's draw being the top result of Matchday 28 among the contenders:

Arsenal must do everything they can to refocus on finishing the season on a high note. They return to action Saturday for what's still an important visit to White Hart Lane to face off with Tottenham. A victory wouldn't make the season, but a defeat sure could break it given the limited amount of time left.

The Gunners must put together a more complete performance in that clash. There were times throughout Wednesday's match when they were playing title-contending football, but the lack of finish and the occasional defense lapse doomed them.

On the flip side, the pressure is still on Swansea to string together a series of positive results in order to steer clear of a serious relegation fight. Sunderland, Norwich and Newcastle are all lurking in the rearview mirror with similar hopes of a late hot streak.

The Swans can certainly take plenty of positives out of this match. In particular, their level of play improved markedly in the second half in order to earn the surprising result. They will look for more of the same when they return home for a big game against Norwich on Saturday.

Post-Match Reaction

Assistant coach Gabriele Ambrosetti dedicated the win to Guidolin:

Leroy Fer, who's on loan from Queens Park Rangers and drew the start in the midfield Wednesday, also celebrated the unlikely triumph:

On the opposite side, Wenger confirmed afterward that Cech is going to miss the weekend clash with Spurs, meaning David Ospina will draw the North London derby start, according to the Arsenal's official site. He also commented the surprising result.

"It was a very unlucky defeat because we created many chances, we were unlucky in our finishing and they only had two shots on target which were both goals," the boss said. "It's a very disappointing result. The players are very doubt but we have to respond to that."