Jack cracks Swansea resistance

Arsenal 1 Swansea 0

The Swans have only to avoid a defeat at home to Chelsea next week to book a place in the Capital One Cup final against the eminently beatable Aston Villa or Bradford City. Arsenal, adrift in the Premier League and long-shots in the Champions League, now travel to Brighton in the fourth round of a competition that was always going to be their most likely route to success.

Yet with Wilshere, revelling in an attacking central role, in this kind of form they can at least believe the drought might just come to an end.

“I don’t think I’ll hit one like that again in my life,” Wilshere said of his 86th-minute clincher. “It was a great set-up from Olivier Giroud and it was important we got the goal, we didn’t want extra-time. We had a lot of chances in the second half and couldn’t put it in but luckily I was there at the end.”

Arsene Wenger is delighted with Wilshere’s return to full fitness, and with his versatility.

“What is pleasing is that he’s ahead of schedule,” the Frenchman said. “Jack is completely back to his best and I would never have believed that would have happened as soon as January.

“He can play everywhere — he can defend and attack. He has got back his burst with the ball so I used him closer to the strikers and he was always dangerous.”

Swansea began nervously on a night when captain Ashley Williams was away because his partner was giving birth but conjured an early chance that saw Thomas Vermaelen block Nathan Dyer’s shot. Former Gunner Kyle Bartley had to do the same at the other end before Theo Walcott went tumbling in the box, although whatever contact — if any — Chico Flores made was outside it. Vermaelen’s free-kick was deflected over and Swans keeper Michel Vorm made a smart stop from Francis Coquelin from the follow-up.

The visitors caught Arsenal napping in the 25th minute when Bartley came charging in to head Wayne Routledge’s delivery past keeper Wojciech Szczesny and on to the crossbar.

Arsenal did almost break the deadlock with the last kick of the half, however, although they needed an element of fortune as Flores’s header hit Per Mertesacker and pinballed to Vermaelen in front of goal, but Vorm was able to save with his legs.

The second half began with another classic example of Walcott not getting it quite right as he sprinted behind the Swans defence. This time Flores did make contact but he stayed on his feet to dink the ball over Vorm but wide of the far post.

The Gunners suddenly clicked into gear and Santi Cazorla only just cleared the crossbar from the edge of the box before Giroud flashed a header across goal and narrowly wide.

That was the prelude to a huge barrage that saw Vorm deny Wilshere and Danny Graham block Walcott’s follow-up on the line.

Walcott then skipped past Flores before criminally failing to hit the target and then, after two near misses by Swansea, he glanced Bacary Sagna’s cross on to a post.

Swansea were hanging on grimly and Dwight Tiendalli twice blocked on the line but Michael Laudrup’s side couldn’t hang on.

Wilshere’s goal was a good one too, as he burst on to a pass from Giroud to lash the ball low past Vorm.

Laudrup admitted his side had been second best.

“In the second half they were the better team, they deserved the win and good luck in the competition.”

ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Szczesny 6; Sagna 6, Mertesacker 6, Vermaelen 7, Gibbs 6; Coquelin 6, Diaby 6 (Ramsey 82) ; Walcott 6, Wilshere 8,Cazorla 7; Giroud 6.

SWANSEA CITY (4-2-3-1): Vorm 8; Richards 8, Flores 7, Bartley 7, Tiendalli 7; Britton 7, Agustien 6 (Hernandez 59, 6); Dyer 7, de Guzman 6 (Ki, 60, 6), Routledge 7; Graham 5 (Michu 71).

Referee: Mark Clattenburg 6.