Hull 2-1 SwanseaHull survival prospects boosted as Oumar Niasse double sees off Swansea
Home team scorersOumar Niasse 69
Oumar Niasse 78
Away team scorersAlfie Mawson 90 +0:49
Of all the players to potentially save Hull City from relegation, no soul would have mentioned Oumar Niasse’s name at the start of the season. But the Everton misfit did it again for Marco Silva, scoring twice in a matter of minutes after being brought on in the closing stages of this crucial victory over Swansea.
Only a few months ago Niasse was training with the Everton kids with his future in English football seemingly bleak. Yet since joining Hull he has scored key goals, here and also against Liverpool, to provide Silva’s side with real hope.
Hull are now just one point behind Crystal Palace in the Premier League and within three of Swansea, having jumped ahead of Middlesbrough. Paul Clement’s men can feel slightly hard done by, but while composure was found wanting in attack for Swansea, with the exception of Alfie Mawson’s header in injury time, Niasse provided it with two cool finishes.
Neither side got a grip on a first-half that mirrored the scrappy FA Cup fixture between these two teams earlier in the season. That was the first match in charge for both Silva and Clement, who have both overseen significant improvements for their respective sides.
Swansea, in particular, have developed well since 7 January, and before this crucial tie at the bottom of the Premier League sat six points clear of Hull, when relegation seemed a likely fate in the latter days of Bob Bradley’s reign.
Yet goals have continually been the struggle this season for Hull and that did not change during the opening 45 minutes. They barely created anything despite edging possession, their best chance coming when Tom Huddlestone deftly dinked a ball over the top for Kamil Grosicki who then touched it over and across goal where Abel Hernandez was waiting, only for goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski to courageously punch away and get clattered in the process.
Lazar Markovic started the second half brightly but again it was Swansea who should have taken the lead. Sigurdsson received the ball inside the area down the left and when his flick was pulled across goal by Tom Carroll, Jakupovic could only palm away. It fell to the onrushing Wayne Routledge but just when composure was needed, he blazed over the crossbar.
Swansea were beginning to turn the screw and when Jakupovic was called upon to stop Sigurdsson’s free-kick and then punch away a series of corners, Silva brought on Niasse for Alfred N’Diaye, an attacking move with Hull going two up front for the remaining 27 minutes.
It proved to be a key change. Just seven minutes after his introduction Niasse was played in over the top by Hernandez – a precise ball with Swansea’s centre-half Mawson caught flat-footed – and the Senegalese forward ran in calmly to slot past Fabianski.
He had his second just moments later. Ahmed Elmohamady chipped infield from the right touchline and when Hernandez failed to control, the ball slid through to Niasse who took one touch and fired in again.
Swansea pulled one back when Mawson glanced a header in from Sigurdsson’s deep cross, but Hull hung on for a vital win.
Guardian
