A Step in the Right Direction; Arsenal 1-0 Swansea

Arshavin's trademark celebratory smirk

Arsenal's win over Swansea at the Emirates this weekend was shaky, but three points are three points.  The Gunners opened the match brightly and had several good scoring opportunities early on.  Five minutes from half time, the Swansea keeper misjudged a clearance throw and tossed the ball into his own defender.  Like a hawk, Arshavin snapped up the loose ball and found the net from an impossible angle.  After the break, the hosts struggled to kill off the tie.  Give credit to Swansea; the league's new boys played with spirit.  And while the closing minutes were rather nervy, in the end Wenger's men finally got the right result.

Wojech Szczesny looked solid in goal and the Professor will be happy to have last season's goalkeeper issues at bay for the moment.  The goal was certainly a boost for Arshavin who has been quiet as of late.  Arsenal's new signings proved their mettle, with Mikel Arteta looking particularly sharp in the midfield.  It will still take some time for the many new signings to gel with the established squad and program at Arsenal but the win was certainly a step in the right direction.  Arsenal fans will agree, Saturday's match was the true start of Arsenal's EPL campaign and look to leave August's embarrassing results in the past.