Full Time: Swansea City 2-0 Stoke City
Swansea City put in a strong display to beat Mark Hughes’ Stoke City 2-0 at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Swans were denied an early penalty claim after Ryan Shawcross appeared to use his hand to put the ball out of play. But they made it count from the resulting corner as Fernando Llorente rose highest to head home.
Marko Arnautovic missed a great chance to put Stoke level in the second-half as he fired over the bar from the penalty spot. A minute after the miss, Swansea punished the Potters as Tom Carroll’s shot from distance deflected off Joe Allen into the back of the net. Stoke didn’t threaten to mount a comeback as Swansea held on for a comfortable win.
The result doesn’t get Paul Clement’s men out of relegation as they still sit in the 18th place, 2 points behind 17th-placed Hull City.
Here is how the Swansea players fared on the day:
Swansea City Player Ratings
Lukasz Fabianski – 7/10
Looked commanding against high balls into the box. Was confident each time Stoke threw something at him.
Kyle Naughton – 6/10
Looked threatening while going forward in the early stages, but faded after that. His passing was not up to the mark. Was booked for a late challenge.
Federico Fernandez – 7/10
Gave away the penalty with a poor challenge on Xherdan Shaqiri. But apart from that one blip, he was very solid. Made plenty of clearances and blocks, won countless headers in the box.
Alfie Mawson – 6/10
Not as convincing as his defensive partner, but seemed to enjoy his battle with Peter Crouch. Made several key clearances in the first-half.
Stephen Kingsley – 6/10
Was given a difficult time by the dangerous Shaqiri, but the Scotsman stuck to his task well. Did not venture forward a lot.
Leon Britton – 8/10
Started the game in the midfield with Jack Cork unavailable and put in an excellent display. Helped the Swans stay on the front foot with his defensive nous in the middle of the park.
Leroy Fer – NA
Collided with Jack Butland and never recovered. Was taken off in the 20th minute.
Tom Carroll – 8.5/10
His drive and energy in the middle were key for Swansea. Scored the vital second goal soon after Stoke’s penalty miss at the other end, to deliver a sucker punch to Stoke.
Jordan Ayew – 7/10
Ran the channels well and looked to stretch the opposition defence. Wasted a great chance to free Llorente on an occasion, but had a fairly good game.
Fernando Llorente – 7.5/10
Had been under some criticism in recent weeks, but bounced back very well. Opened the scoring with a strong header and put in a good shift before being taken off.
Gylfi Sigurdsson – 7/10
Grabbed the assist for Llorente’s opener with a pinpoint corner kick. Wasn’t as fruitful as he usually is, but looked to make things happen all the time.
Substitutes
Ki Sung-Yeung – 6/10
Replaced the injured Leroy Fer in the 20th minute. Added a combative presence while putting in the hard yards defensively as well.
Mark van der Hoorn – 6/10
Came on for Llorente on the hour mark, with Clement looking to shut shop. Was a solid presence.
Borja Baston – NA
Came on to replace Leon Britton in the final stages.
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