Mesut Ozil added a third goal for Arsenal against Swansea, volleying home from an Alexis Sanchez cross.
Arsenal dominated much of the first half of their match against Swansea. Theo Walcott scored a quick brace to give Gunners a 2-0 lead, but a Granit Xhaka mistake allowed Gylfi Sigurdsson the space to get Swansea back into the game.
The game was delicately poised at 2-1 to begin the second half, but Arsenal quickly re-established their dominance through Mesut Ozil. The German found some space at the back post, where Alexis Sanchex found him with a pinpoint cross. Ozil’s finish was excellent, as he thrashed the ball into the roof of the net.
.@MesutOzil1088's birthday wish came true: A goal for @Arsenal #PLonNBC https://t.co/8FoCaoSSqg
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) October 15, 2016
Arsenal look in total control after Ozil’s goal, which was not great from a defensive perspective for new Swans manager Bob Bradley. Bradley, of course, makes history today as the first American manager ever to take charge of a Premier League game.
His side have been outplayed so far, but there are few more difficult tasks in your first ever Premier League match than traveling to face an in-form Arsenal side. The Gunners had won six league games in a row heading into their match with Swansea. If they can hold on, they’ll move onto 19 points.
Depending on results elsewhere, they could even end the day top of the league. That would be an impressive feat considering they started their season with only one point from two games against Liverpool and Leicester.
Bradley will have questions to answer after some of the goals his side have conceded, but it was too soon to expect him to have made any real changes to this team. The former USMNT manager will need time with his new side to stamp out the sort of defensive errors that have plagued them today. And he can take hear from the fight they’ve showed, scoring two goals despite hardly seeing the ball.