..::Football III::..

[Wolverine GTR]

AC Milan 5-0 Alessandria (agg 6-0): Mihajlovic's men book Coppa Italia final spot

AC Milan ended third-tier Alessandria's Coppa Italia dreams to reach the final after a 5-0 win on Tuesday, securing a 6-0 aggregate triumph.

Having won the first leg 1-0 courtesy of Mario Balotelli's penalty, the in-form Serie A side completed the job at San Siro as Jeremy Menez and Alessio Romagnoli scored two apiece, with Balotelli adding late gloss.

While there was no dispute about Menez's measured finish and tap-in, Romagnoli's opening close-range goal – his first for the club – raised suspicions of offside and the linesman did initially appear to indicate as much, before changing his mind.

Alessandria provided a spirited second-half showing, but still succumbed to another Romagnoli goal and Balotelli's cool finish, and will return to Lega Pro action sitting just three points off a play-off spot.

Milan have not won the Coppa Italia since 2003, but will seek to end that wait when they face either city rivals Inter or Juventus – who meet on Wednesday – in the Rome final in May.The result extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 12 matches, with Sinisa Mihajlovic's men having lost only once in 2016.

Keisuke Honda missed a glorious chance to put the hosts ahead inside seven minutes, with the Japan international somehow side-footing over the empty net from eight yards after Juraj Kucka's run and pass had taken goalkeeper Gianmarco Vannucchi out of the equation.

Alessandria beat the likes of Palermo, Genoa and Spezia on their way to the last four and proved they would be no pushovers this time out either, with Christian Abbiati forced to deny Vedran Celjak from a tight angle.

Angelo Gregucci's men were soon breached, though, when Menez controlled Honda's lofted pass with his chest and steered an effort into the bottom-left corner with 20 minutes gone.

The tie was effectively over just four minutes later as Romagnoli touched home from two yards out following a corner, with Alessandria's calls for offside ultimately dismissed.There was further punishment to come before the break, as Menez – who only returned from a back injury last month – put the finishing touch on a well-worked move.

Still the visitors refused to give up the fight in the second half, pressing forward and seeing Manuel Fischnaller head narrowly wide from a free-kick.

The underdogs came even closer to a consolation soon after, but despite Michele Marconi's shot going through Abbiati's legs, Mattia De Sciglio got back to clear off the line And a fourth arrived at the other end 10 minutes from time when Romagnoli forced the ball over the line following a corner, while Balotelli raced away to slot in another at the death as Mihajlovic – four times a winner of the competition as a player – led his men to the final with considerable comfort.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ranieri: Leicester are ready to fight for title


Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri insisted there was "nothing negative" about his team's performance in the 2-2 Premier League draw at home to West Brom.

Ranieri's men will lose their place at the top of the table if Tottenham manage to beat West Ham on Wednesday, after Salomon Rondon's opener and Craig Gardner's excellent free-kick for the visitors came either side of first-half goals from City midfield duo Danny Drinkwater and Andy King.

Despite failing to repeat the heroics of Saturday's injury time winner against Norwich City, Ranieri felt his team's overall display marked an improvement on their weekend efforts.

"I am very pleased with our performance," said the Italian, as quoted by BBC Sport. "The players played so well, there was no panic after the first goal."We played much better than against Norwich. I am satisfied with theperformance. Just sometimes you can do everything but the ball doesn't want to go in.

"I want to create a lot of chances and sooner or later we score. Tonight wasn't the right moment but we are alive and we fight to the end."Everybody is ready to fight, to play well, to create chances. Only the victory was missing."

Leicester continue their title tilt at Watford on Saturday and Ranieri added: "[There is] nothing negative. We tried to do everything and well done to my players.

"I love this, we never, never give up. We always try the best in every situation."Every team plays football and we have to find the solution and try to win. It is important not to lose the match too as they could have counter attacked."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Klopp: Liverpool already planning for next season

Jurgen Klopp is already planning for next season, but the Liverpool manager will not rush decisions regarding the future of his squad.

The German replaced Brendan Rodgers at Anfield in October and suffered defeat in his first major final as Manchester City won the League Cup after a penalty shootout defeat at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

In the Premier League, Liverpool are off the pace in the battle for a Champions League qualification berth and the likes of Christian Benteke, Alberto Moreno and goalkeeper Simon Mignolet have all been linked with a close-season exit.

And Klopp, who has already signed Marko Grujic and Joel Matip for next season, will thoroughly analyse what is required to get the team challenging at the top of the table.

"Yes, we are planning for next season. Clearly we plan for next season," he told a news conference as Liverpool prepare to play City again in the Premier League on Wednesday.

"There is nothing to say yet. It is not I can say that we are close to this decision or that decision. But we work the whole day and it is not just preparing for games.
"We don't have to be first or anything [in the transfer market], but in the end we have to plan for the future and that is what we are doing."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Zidane 'improving' but still unsure of Madrid future


Zinedine Zidane insists he is improving every day as Real Madrid head coach, but admits he is none the wiser as to his future beyond this season.

Madrid legend Zidane had been coaching the club's Castilla side before he was promoted to the top job in January to replace Rafael Benitez, who lasted just seven months at the Santiago Bernabeu.

However, Madrid have failed to close the gap on leaders Barcelona in La Liga and a 1-0 defeat to city rivals Atletico on Saturday left them 12 points off the summit and in third place.

The 43-year-old stated in the aftermath of the game that changes in the close-season are inevitable and that his own position is sure to come under scrutiny, but he says he will not look too far ahead and his immediate thoughts are on Wednesday's trip to Levante.

"The most important thing is today and I'm very happy, working and improving every day. When I arrived everything was nice, now we have lost a game and everything is dark," he said. "My interest is working with the group and I know we're going to move things forward. Nothing else worries me. I don't know what will happen in three months.

"We're focused on what's coming up. Things have happened, and they always do in this club. The most important thing is to be together, united and think about the game against Levante.

"At the end of the season there may or may not be changes, but we're only thinking about giving our best and we have the obligations to do so for our fans."Zidane also leapt to the defence of attacking midfielders James Rodriguez and Isco, who have faced criticism over their performances in recent matches.

"What I want is for players to give 100 per cent," he added. "I have to find solutions for James to play better, for Pepe, Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, everyone not just James or Isco.

"I've spoken with James, he's doing his work and trying to give the most. They train well but sometimes things don't work out. We can't blame anyone, I'm not blaming him."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Man Utd facing another long-term injury absence as Keane faces operation

Manchester United striker Will Keane will need an operation on a groin injury and is facing an extended spell on the sidelines, Louis van Gaal has confirmed.

Keane returned from a loan spell with Preston earlier this season and came off the bench in the FA Cup clash with Shrewsbury Town, but was forced out of the game minutes later.

Van Gaal expects Anthony Martial and Matteo Darmian to be available to face Watford on Wednesday but was without several first team players for the victory over Arsenal, with Keane the latest to be ruled out.

“When I have choice enough, then I rotate [my squad]," Van Gaal told reporters.

"There’s no player in the English Premier League who can cope with the rhythm of matches. A player like Rooney could always cope but he is injured and not for the first time. So I have to rotate.

"I have [Wayne] Rooney, I have Martial, I have [Marcus] Rashford, I had Will Keane but Keane is injured and will be operated on. When I have more players, I will rotate.”

Asked if Wayne Rooney would also need surgery, Van Gaal responded: “No he does not need an operation. He may be back in March.”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Injuries........Injuries......Injuries

Get well soon Keane!​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Van Gaal: I only saw Rashford train with reserves

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal admitted he had not seen much of Marcus Rashford before naming him in his side's starting eleven for matches against Midtjylland and then Arsenal.

Rashford repaid the faith with four goals between the two games to ensure United remained in the Europa League and in touch with the Premier League's top four following his brace in Sunday's 3-2 win over Arsenal.

But Van Gaal said he had only seen the 18-year-old in fleeting appearances during training games before he thought to try the youngster as a striker."He was training with the second team," Van Gaal said.

"Sometimes he could play the part in 11-against-11 and then I saw him. You can see him with the second team but he was fast and playing on the right and left side."I put him in the striker's position. You never know if a player can cope with the rhythm of your team. He did it very well."

But the Dutchman warned that while he has been impressed with Rashford thus far, the real pressure would come soon.

"The first time it is not so difficult because the player is so focused. Now the pressure shall rise for him because all the people shall look at him in another way," he said."After four goals, the fans are expecting the fifth. But he has certain qualities. He can score in his way and that’s because he sniffs the situation in advance of other players."

Rashford's debut only came as the result of injuries to captain Wayne Rooney and then Anthony Martial coupled with Van Gaal's decision not to buy a third senior striker in January.

"I have not bought a striker because of Wayne Rooney and Martial, because they could play in the striker position, and because Rooney is the captain he shall always play. I don't buy a third striker, so he [Rashford] has the possibility," he said."He was on the bench at Watford and Leicester. He was having a very good period.

"He might have come in for the Watford match but we played another system and Memphis Depay and Jesse Lingard played very well."Because we have a small squad and no more than two players for one position, you can give an opportunity to a youngster."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2016.03.02

Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2016.03.02

Arsenal Vs Swansea

Stoke CIty Vs Newcastle

West Ham Vs Tottenham

Liverpool Vs Manchester City

Manchester United Vs Watford

​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Good Luck Manchester United!​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

LA Liga Fixtures 2016.03.02

LA Liga Fixtures 2016.03.02

Athletic Bilbao Vs Deportivo

Celta Vigo Vs Villareal

Malaga Vs Valencia

Sevilla Vs Eibar

Levante Vs Real Madrid​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Serie A Coppa Italia Fixture 2016.03.02

Serie A Coppa Italia Fixture 2016.03.02

Inter Vs Juventus​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Galatasaray banned from Uefa competitions for one season


Galatasaray have been banned from Uefa competitions for one season, after failing to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations.

The ban will come into force the first time that the Istanbul club qualify for either the Champions League or the Europa League within the next two seasons, though the sanction will be waived if Galatasaray fail to qualify for continental competition in that timeframe.

A statement from The Adjudicatory Chamber of the Uefa Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) read: "Galatasaray will be excluded from participating in the next Uefa club competition for which they would otherwise qualify in the next two (2) seasons (i.e. the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons).

"This decision was taken after Galatasaray failed to comply with the terms of the settlement agreement that it entered with the CFCB Chief Investigator in May 2014 under Article 15 of the Procedural rules governing the Uefa CFCB.

"The Turkish club has also been ordered to limit the overall aggregate cost of the employee benefits expenses of all of its players in each of the next two reporting periods (i.e. the reporting period ending in 2016 and the reporting period ending in 2017)."

In January, Uefa released a statement indicating that the Turkish Super Lig club had failed to comply with rules around financial losses, bringing about the possibility of a ban by the Club Financial Control Body.
The Club Financial Control Body's investigatory chamber referred Galatasaray to the adjudicatory chamber in January, with representatives from the club mounting a defence and outlining plans to improve the financial structure.

But now the Istanbul club will be unable to compete in either the Champions League or the Europa League in the next season that they qualify, should that be in either the 2016-17 or 2017-18 season.

The ban continues a tumultuous season for Galatasaray, who now sit 16 points behind fierce rivals Fenerbahce in the league, parting company with head coach Mustafa Denizli on Tuesday, just three months after the 66-year-old took the job.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Cazorla denies Wenger claims of injury setback

Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla has refuted manager Arsene Wenger's claims that he has suffered a setback in his recovery from injury.

The 31-year-old ruptured knee ligaments in November and was originally expected to be back in March ahead of the final weeks of the season.

Wenger told reporters on Tuesday, however, that the Spain international would be out for longer than first feared after picking up an Achilles problem.

"Santi is not doing too well," the Frenchman said. "He has some Achilles problems that hold him [back].

"His knee is doing well but his Achilles has inflamed a little bit and we have to put him off impact.

"It is a reaction to him coming back. We have to see now how he responds. He had always a little tendonitis on his Achilles and we have to see how he responds to that."

Despite these claims, Cazorla has responded by claiming that he is on track to meet his original return date of April 1 as the Gunnners look to secure silverware for the third straight season.

Writing on Twitter, he said: "Surprised by the piece of news in press, deadlines are going as planned. I will be ready on 1st April #workinghard".

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Welbeck: Rashford has great potential for Manchester United

Danny Welbeck has hailed Marcus Rashford following the 18-year-old’s stunning introduction to the Manchester United first team.

Rashford struck twice during his senior debut for United in last Thursday’s 5-1 victory over FC Midtjylland in the Europa League, and he followed that up with another double in Sunday’s 3-2 win over Arsenal at Old Trafford.

Rashford was scouted during his time at Fletcher Moss Rangers - the same youth club Welbeck was at - and the Arsenal forward believes United have a player with “great potential”.

“He’s done brilliantly well. Individually I was really pleased for him, obviously to make a great debut like that in the Europa League and then into the weekend he did well,” Welbeck told the Daily Mirror.

“It was disappointing [for us] on the day. I was down when we lost that match. I’m pleased for Marcus but disappointed to lose that game.

“My brother is very close with his family. He’s known his family for a very long time and Marcus was coming through the ranks at United when I was playing in the first team and I would see him all of the time.

“He’s someone that I always spoke to. He’s a great kid. He’s very level headed. He’s got great potential and I hope he does very well. I’ve spoken to him a couple of times.

“Fletcher Moss was where it started for me and a lot of other players as well. It’s vital that they get the stature back up again, get everything running smoothly again.

“There’s a lot of talent in Manchester that grows up in and around that club. Hopefully it can keep going for many more years.”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mahrez: I thought Leicester City were a rugby team!

Riyad Mahrez has revealed that he thought Leicester City were a rugby team before moving to the club in 2014.

The Algeria international arrived from Le Harve with the club still in the Championship and scored three goals as the Foxes earned promotion to the Premier League just four months later.

Mahrez has taken the English top flight by storm this season with 14 goals and 11 assists as Leicester have mounted a shock title challenge but has now revealed he nearly rejected the move.

"I didn't know Leicester," he told FourFourTwo. "In France we didn't really [know them] because they were in the Championship. I thought they were a rugby club.

"I was like: 'I don't know...' But then I came here to see the facilities and they were good. I do not regret signing for them, it's the best club I've ever been at."

Leicester have spent the majority of the season leading the Premier League despite narrowly avoiding relegation last term and Mahrez feels momentum is driving their unlikely tilt at the title.

"This is Leicester's best season ever and we just need to keep going," Mahrez continued.

"We have the quality and we have the confidence, then when you start winning games you gain even more confidence. That's how football goes."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Luis Enrique delighted with Arda Turan versatility


Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has been impressed by the versatility offered by midfielder Arda Turan.Due to the Camp Nou club's transfer ban, the 29-year-old only became eligible to play for Barca in January despite having signed from Atletico Madrid in July 2015.

Turan has since made 12 appearances in all competitions, with Luis Enrique delighted to be able to use him in central midfield or as a wide attacker.

"Arda can play through the middle as well as on the wing, and until now he's done well in both positions," said the head coach. "Each position has different demands in attack and defence, but Arda is doing well in both."

La Liga leaders Barcelona face an away game against Rayo Vallecano on Thursday, with Luis Enrique full of praise for his team's opponents.He added: "You can never be relaxed against Rayo. It will be an uncomfortable game.

"What I like about Rayo is their love to attack and desire to complicate life for their opponent as close as possible to your area. I love Rayo coach Paco Jemez's philosophy. What he is doing deserves a lot of credit.

"Rayo continue to be a difficult team to play, and it has been four seasons that they have been playing good football in the top division, which is very commendable."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Darmstadt 0-2 Borussia Dortmund: Ramos and Durm on target as visitors close gap on Bayern

Borussia Dortmund gained vital ground on Bayern Munich ahead of Saturday's Der Klassiker with a 2-0 win over Darmstadt on a night when their arch-rivals slipped up.

While Bundesliga leaders Bayern were stunned by a 2-1 home defeat to Mainz, Thomas Tuchel's side dominated struggling Darmstadt and scored either side of half-time to claim a victory that moves them to within five points of the reigning champions.

And that gap could be down to just two points at the weekend, with Bayern visiting Signal Iduna Park for a mouthwatering clash that looks set to go a long way to deciding the destination of the title.

A win for Dortmund at Merck-Stadion am Bollenfalltor rarely looked in doubt, but the visitors were made to work hard before Adrian Ramos opened the scoring after 38 minutes.

Erik Durm added a second by finishing off a fine team move eight minutes after the restart, with Tuchel's decision to rest the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Shinji Kagawa fully vindicated by a commanding performance that made it six wins on the bounce in all competitions.

Dortmund, making their first visit to Darmstadt in 34 years, tested goalkeeper Christian Mathenia with a curling Ilkay Gundogan free-kick after five minutes, but the embattled hosts started brightly at a packed Merck-Stadion am Bollenfalltor.

Tuchel handed a full debut to teenage winger Felix Passlack, who saw plenty of the ball as Dortmund began to dominate possession.

Darmstadt succeeded in frustrating Dortmund for more than half an hour and striker Sandro Wagner came within inches of scoring when he controlled the ball perfectly with his chest before unleashing a low drive that flashed just wide of the post with Roman Weidenfeller beaten.

But Dortmund edged in front moments later when Gonzalo Castro's cross was met by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and the rebound from his saved header was prodded home by Ramos with Mathenia prone on the turf.

Aubameyang should have doubled Dortmund's lead just after half-time when he had a sliding attempt at goal blocked on the line, but moments later Castro's through ball found Durm racing into the box and the left-back took a touch before side-footing it into the net.

Darmstadt refused to concede defeat, and they came close to pulling a goal back when Wagner headed the ball down to Mario Vrancic in the box, but the striker blazed over the crossbar under pressure from Mats Hummels.

Aubameyang should have ended the game with a goal when he broke clear and went one-on-one with Mathenia but the goalkeeper did just enough to block his shot and keep the final score at 2-0 on an evening when the Bundesliga title race was blown wide open.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Bayern Munich 1-2 Mainz: Late Cordoba goal shocks hosts

Jhon Cordoba scored an 86th-minute winner as Mainz claimed a shock 2-1 victory over Bayern Munich on Wednesday, ending the Bavarian giants' perfect home record this season.

Borussia Dortmund's 2-0 win at Darmstadt means Bayern travel to Signal Iduna Park on Saturday with the lead over their nearest rivals cut to five points.

Franck Ribery's first Bundesliga start in more than a year following an injury ordeal came as former Bayern president Uli Hoeness sat in the stands in the week of his release from prison, but the defending champions struggled to live up to their usual brilliant standards.

Bayern struggled for clear-cut chances throughout and required a long-range strike from Arjen Robben in the 64th-minute to cancel out Jairo Samperio's first-half opener for the visitors.

Pep Guardiola sent on Thomas Muller and Kingsley Coman in pursuit of the win, but it was Cordoba, who was also on target in Sunday's impressive 3-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen, who had the final word to lift Martin Schmidt's Champions League hopefuls up to fifth.

Mainz defender Alexander Hack headed over from Fabian Frei's fifth-minute set-piece, as Bayern settled quickly into their customary dominance of possession.

Ribery floated a left-wing cross towards the edge of the area where Arturo Vidal's superb volley drew an equally impressive save from Loris Karius.

The Mainz goalkeeper settled in for a busy evening by then denying Juan Bernat and seeing his defenders scramble the rebound clear with Robert Lewandowski lurking.

But the visitors overcame that flurry of pressure to take a 26th-minute lead on the counter-attack.

The ball broke to the right following an aerial challenge between Christian Clemens and Bernat, leaving Giulio Donati to cut a low cross behind Yunus Malli that the on-rushing Jairo finished crisply at the back post.

Robben cut in from the right to whip a left-footed shot past the far post, but Mainz preserved their advantage to half-time in relative comfort.

Six minutes into the second half, Clemens slashed wastefully wide when afforded space in the Bayern box – Guardiola's men once again showing themselves to be susceptible on the break.

Karius kept out Vidal's latest attempt from range and Medhi Benatia, like Ribery featuring in a starting line-up for the first time since December's Champions League win at Dinamo Zagreb, headed off target as Bayern continued to be restricted to half-chances.

Indeed, there appeared to be little on when Robben collected the ball 30 yards from goal and took aim to arrow a low drive beyond Karius.

That setback did not distract Schmidt's diligent side from their task and, having repelled Bayern's sustained but blunt pressure, Cordoba stunned the Allianz Arena in the closing stages.

It was another nicely worked goal, with the substitute collecting Julian Baumgartlinger's pass to beat Manuel Neuer and end Bayern's home winning streak at 15 in all competitions this term.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

West Ham 1-0 Tottenham: Antonio denies Spurs top spot

Tottenham missed the chance to go top of the Premier League with a 1-0 defeat at West Ham as Michail Antonio continued his hot streak at Upton Park.

Having come from behind to beat Swansea City 2-1 at the weekend, Spurs went into Wednesday's clash with their London rivals with the chance to move ahead of leaders Leicester City, who were held to a 2-2 draw by West Brom 24 hours earlier.

But Mauricio Pochettino's side paid the price for a lacklustre first-half display, with Antonio's early header proving the difference in a frenetic derby encounter.

Antonio converted a Dimitri Payet corner to net his fourth goal in four home games for Slaven Bilic's team, who perhaps should have been more than 1-0 up at half-time following a dominant first 45 minutes.

Tottenham responded well in the second half and looked the more likely to score as they attempted to make it a happy 44th birthday for their manager and move above Leicester on goal difference.

However, it was Bilic and the home fans who were provided with reason to celebrate, as West Ham held on to maintain their push for Champions League qualification.

It took Antonio just seven minutes to break the deadlock with his second goal in as many games as he met Payet's set-piece from the right with a powerful near-post header that Hugo Lloris could not keep out.

Lloris redeemed himself somewhat eight minutes later, producing a fine diving save to his left to turn Mark Noble's long-range drive behind.

Payet had a curling effort deflected wide late in the half and Spurs will have been relieved to head into the interval only a goal down given the pressure they were forced to soak up.

Ben Davies lashed wide shortly after the restart in what was Tottenham's first shot of the match, with Erik Lamela then heading well wide at the near post in the 53rd minute.

A rejuvenated Tottenham continued to surge forward in search of an equaliser and will have been wondering how they were not level when Adrian pulled off an excellent double save to keep out Toby Alderweireld's fierce low effort and Harry Kane's follow-up.

Dele Alli - who was left on the bench after picking up an injury in the warm-up against Swansea last time out - was thrown on in place of Nacer Chadli as Pochettino tried everything to find a leveller.

But, after West Ham defender James Collins limped off to be replaced by Reece Oxford, the visitors were fortunate not to fall 2-0 down when Antonio spurned a chance to double his tally, firing over from Payet's superb free-kick in the 66th minute.

Tottenham were unable to punish West Ham for Antonio's profligacy, though, and remain three points behind Leicester going into the weekend's meeting with neighbours Arsenal, who also suffered a disappointing evening after losing 2-1 to Swansea.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Arsenal 1-2 Swansea: Williams strike stuns Gunners

Ashley Williams's 74th-minute strike gave Swansea a shock 2-1 win over Arsenal at the Emirates on Wednesday evening.

The Gunners headed into the game hoping to bounce back from their chastening 3-2 defeat to Manchester United at the weekend but their title bid was dealt another damaging blow, as the Swans came from behind to record a stunning victory.

Joel Campbell put Arsene Wenger's men into an early lead, but Wayne Routledge's first top-flight goal since December 2014 had the visitors level.

The Gunners hit the woodwork twice in the first half through Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud, with the Chile international doing so again after the break, a few moments before Williams' scruffy close-range winner stunned the Emirates.

Arsenal were heavily criticised for their defeat at Manchester United on Sunday and have now only won two of their last eight league fixtures at a crucial stage of the campaign.

Wenger's side remain six points behind leaders Leicester City with 10 matches remaining. Swansea, who were without head coach Francesco Guidolin due to a chest infection that meant he was taken to hospital earlier in the day and made six changes to their team, stay 16th, but significantly open up a welcome six-point cushion on the bottom three.

There were three alterations for the hosts, with Per Mertesacker replacing the injured Laurent Koscielny, while Campbell and Giroud came in for Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck.

Arsenal almost moved in front when Mesut Ozil headed on to Sanchez, with the attacker mis-hitting his original effort before composing himself and striking a right-footed shot against the post as Lukasz Fabianski gratefully collected the rebound.

The Gunners did find the opener after 15 minutes, though. Sanchez cleverly sent a chip into the box and Campbell, on the slide, hooked an impressive left-footed finish into the far corner.

But after a slow start, Swansea came back into the game and were level in the 32nd minute. Arsenal wanted a free-kick on the halfway line when Jordi Amat challenged Ozil, but referee Robert Madley was unmoved.

The visitors then broke quickly and Jack Cork produced an excellent through ball, allowing Routledge – one of the six brought into the team - to take one touch and confidently slot past Petr Cech.

Arsenal should have regained the lead shortly before half-time, but Giroud could only smash his right-footed volley against the crossbar from 10 yards after Mertesacker had perfectly headed an Aaron Ramsey cross into his path.

The home fans were unhappy to see Wenger bring off Campbell when he opted to introduce Welbeck for the final 26 minutes and they had their hearts in their mouths a few moments later when substitute Gylfi Sigurdsson surged through on goal, rounded Cech but fired wide from a tight angle.

Having survived that scare, Arsenal hit the woodwork for a third time after Ozil had been fouled by Williams. Sanchez took the free-kick from 20 yards out and curled an excellent effort against the bar.

It looked like the match was set up for a late charge from Wenger's men, but it was Swansea who moved in front 16 minutes from time when Sigurdsson sent in a marvellous set-piece from the right and Williams beat Cech to the ball before bundling home from close range.

Walcott replaced Sanchez for the closing stages and Ramsey had a penalty claim turned down after he was challenged by Routledge, but the visitors held on for their first victory in five league games.

The result means Arsenal have lost back-to-back league games for the first time this season and have suffered a third defeat in a row in all competitions following a Champions League setback at the hands of Barcelona.