Swansea City 0-4 Arsenal: Olivier Giroud scores again before going off injured while Alexis Sanchez throws another sulk after being substituted

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He huffed and puffed and threw his gloves down. Not many players dismantle teams quite like Alexis Sanchez and even fewer can match his strops.

At Bournemouth on January 3, it was a tantrum during and after a 3-3 draw; here it was the pantomime of his reaction to being substituted 79 minutes into a demolition of his making.

He had been excellent, making the first goal for Olivier Giroud with determination and precision and scoring the last with a volley. A quite stunning talent.

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud shoots and scores to give his side the lead against the run of play against Swansea 

Alex Iwobi's shot was deflected off captain Jack Cork and flew past Swansea goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski into the net

Kyle Naughton deflected another Iwobi shot past the Swansea goalkeeper to gift Arsenal and three-goal lead

Alexis Sanchez scored his 14th league goal of the season and Arsenal's fourth of the game to put the game beyond Swansea

Ki Sung-yueng looks incredulous after the referee books him for diving after an apparent foul by Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny

Sanchez appeared to throw a fit after Arsene Wenger decided to substitute him with just 11 minutes left on the clock

Sanchez chose to hide under his big Arsenal coat instead of watching his team-mates play the remaining 11 minutes 

MATCH FACTS, PLAYER RATINGS AND MATCH ZONE 

Swansea (4-2-3-1): Fabianski 6; Naughton 5, Fernandez 5, Mawson 6, Kingsley 6; Cork 6 (McBurnie 70, 6), Ki 5; Dyer 5.5 (Fer 55, 6), Sigurdsson 5.5, Routledge 5; Llorente 5.5 (Borja 70, 5.5).

Subs not used: Van der Hoorn, Nordfeldt, Rangel, Fulton.

Booked: Ki, Fer

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Cech 6.5; Gabriel 6.5, Mustafi 7, Koscielny 6, Monreal 6.5; Xhaka 6.5, Ramsey 7; Iwobi 7, Ozil 7 (Lucas Perez 79, 6), Sanchez 8 (Welbeck 79, 6); Giroud 7 (Oxlade-Chamberlain 59, 6).

Subs not used: Ospina, Holding, Reine-Adelaide, Maitland-Niles.

Referee: Mike Jones 7.5

Attendance: 20,875

Man of the Match: Alexis Sanchez 

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MATCH ZONE: Arsenal's fine passing move before Olivier Giroud's opening goal in the first-half.

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But still the drama came, with the trudge off the field, the removal of his gloves and the kick that sent them towards the bench, where he eventually sat, hidden under a coat. Furious, hurt, seething presumably at being denied the chance to further kick an old bird that was already dead. The best are spitefully ruthless and Sanchez clearly belongs in that elite company.

Arsene Wenger found the whole episode amusing enough, evidently comfortable that this was no repeat of the histrionics found at West Ham and Chelsea this week from big boys who should know better. 

He knows he has a gloriously good thing in this forward, who can apparently score or create with remarkable frequency. That second-half goal here was his 21st in 32 games; his 10 assists in that time show what an asset he is at a time when he has a contract issue to resolve with the club.

With Swansea dominating the game, Giroud opened the scoring after 37 minutes despite suffering with an injury 

Iwobi celebrates in front of Arsenal's travelling away fans after playing a pivotal role in the own goal to make it 2-0

Iwobi is surrounded by his Arsenal team-mates after his shot found the back of the net with the help of Swansea star Cork

Mesut Ozil congratulates Iwobi after another shot from the left side of the penalty area was deflected into the Swansea net

Sanchez drew level with Diego Costa at the top of the Premier League goal standings with his 14th strike of the campaign

It had become something of a problem for Wenger’s side, with a few too many points left sprinkled on the road. One point in their previous three away trips was simply not good enough for a team with such aspirations and a congested table had responded by spitting them out of the top four.

But this was an impressive way to get the stone out of the shoe, with Swansea kicked around in their own back yard on the occasion of Paul Clement’s firs league game in charge.

Clement had perhaps tempted fate on his arrival by saying that sides in his care would be too well organised and coached to lose by three, four and five. With personnel as flaky as this bunch, with a defensive track record quite so poor this season, that was a risky thing to say and it showed here, where the impressive play of Swansea’s first half an hour was quickly made irrelevant by the rout that followed.

Giroud got Arsenal going with his 11th goal in his last nine starts, including at least one strike in each. 

Swansea thought they had a penalty after Arsenal captain Koscielny appeared to bring down Ki in the penalty area

There was confusion as the referee blew his whistle with Swansea fans believing he had awarded a spot-kick

Olivier Giroud was substituted for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain soon after the restart after failing to shake off an unknown injury 

Arsenal star Sanchez appeared to struggle with a problem in his right thigh in the second half but played until the 74th minute

Danny Welbeck was brought on for the final few minutes of the game for Sanchez, who had just scored Arsenal's fourth

The forward looked less than impressed with Wenger's decision to bring him off, kicking out as he left the field

This was a good nudge to that end, given it did a lot for Arsenal’s title challenge, lifting them to third after a recent bout of travel sickness.

It had become something of a problem for Wenger’s side, with a few too many points left sprinkled on the road.

One point in their previous three away trips was simply not good enough for a team with such aspirations and a congested table had responded by spitting them out of the top four.

But this was an impressive way to get the stone out of the shoe, with Swansea kicked around in their own back yard on the occasion of Paul Clement’s first league game in charge. 

A postcard view as a rainbow appears in the Welsh sky above the Liberty Stadium during the Premier League match

Arsenal welcomed Mesut Ozil back to the starting XI for the Swansea match following a prolonged absence with sickness

Assistant manager Claude Makelele discusses with performance director Richard Buchanan ahead of the kick-off

His finish for the goal after 37 minutes was simple — a tap in from a couple of yards.

But the build-up play was really quite something, one of those Arsenal counter-attacks that pass in a blur, with Giroud involved and Mesut Ozil playing a beautifully cushioned flick into Aaron Ramsey’s path. The Welshman drilled a low cross along the six-yard box but Giroud was a fraction late with his lunge.

Swansea's new signing Luciano Narsingh is unveiled before the Premier League match against Arsenal

That chance got away but Sanchez retrieved the loose ball and crossed for Ozil. The German was given far too much space but he fluffed his header, which cannoned off Alfie Mawson and dropped to the feet of Giroud, who finished.

From sleep to sprinting in a matter of minutes for Arsenal; a painful slap for Swansea, who should have defended the goal better but generally looked good in the opening half.

From there, it got worse for Swansea, with Arsenal going two up after 54 minutes.

Aaron Ramsey, appearing in his native Wales, goes in for a slide tackle on Swansea star Ki and makes contact with the ball

Arsenal star Sanchez displays some neat dribbling work as he takes on Swansea defender Kyle Naughton

Gylfi Sigurdsson was caught in possession on the edge of his own area, the ball was worked to Alex Iwobi and his shot looped over Lukasz Fabianski via a large deflection off Jack Cork.

Clement threw his arms up in a rage and did so again 13 minutes later when Iwobi’s cross on the left flank was turned in by Kyle Naughton.

Sanchez added the fourth from close range and was promptly substituted, sparking a bonus feature for a showreel performance.

For Arsenal, these are manageable problems. For Clement, there must be a serious worry. He believes he can coach his way out of Swansea’s mess, but coaching such limited players to survival will clearly be a big ask.

Wayne Routledge of Swansea City has a rare shot on Arsenal's goal, but sees his shot saved by goalkeeper Petr Cech

Swansea City's Gylfi Sigurdsson looks dejected after Arsenal score their fourth goal of the game via Alexis Sanchez

Quite aside from such a pathetic defence — which could yet produce the worst figures in Premier League history — there is the basic question of fitness.

They had started this game with energy and effective pressing, but gave it away with their hands on their knees.

Survival for Swansea looks a desperately tough proposition, even in such a tight Premier League table. For Arsenal, the title seems far more attainable than Swansea’s safety.

For that, they have a sulking genius to thank.