Swansea 2 - 1 West BromFernando Llorente’s late effort ensures Swansea end on high against West Brom
Home team scorersJordan Ayew 72
Fernando Llorente 86
Away team scorersJonny Evans 33
The only disappointment for Swansea City is that the season has come to an end. Paul Clement’s side have finished the campaign with a flourish, winning four of their last five matches to climb to 15th place and complete a turnaround that seemed implausible at the start of the year.
Swansea had to do it the hard way to pick up this victory, coming from behind after Jonny Evans headed Albion into a first-half lead, and once again it was Fernando Llorente who delivered the decisive blow. The Spaniard volleyed in his 15th goal of the season, and his 10th in his last 11 Premier League appearances at the Liberty Stadium, four minutes from time.
Jordan Ayew, with his first goal for Swansea, equalised earlier in the second half on an afternoon that rather summed up the way Albion’s season has petered out. Leading for more than 70 minutes Albion departed with nothing to show for their efforts and their wait for a first away win this year will now extend into the start of next season.
Tony Pulis’s side finished in a creditable 10th place, yet they picked up only two points from their final nine matches.
With nothing riding on this game other than the chance to climb a few places in the table and pick up more Premier League prize money, it was hardly surprising that the opening 45 minutes felt a little flat. Swansea took a long time to get into their stride against an Albion team that played with a five-man defence and took the lead in familiar style, scoring from a set-piece.
Darren Fletcher aimed his corner kick towards the far post and Kristoffer Nordfeldt, who was making his first Premier League appearance of the season in goal for Swansea, was caught in no man’s land. Swansea’s marking was not much better as Evans made the most of the freedom he was afforded to head high into the net.
Swansea created only a couple of chances in that opening half, with the best of them falling to Leroy Fer. After blazing one effort high and wide when a square pass might have been the better option Fer connected sweetly with a first-time shot from 10 yards that appeared goalbound until it took a deflection.
At the other end Salomón Rondón ran on to Fletcher’s perfectly weighted pass and in behind a static Swansea defence but, with the angle against him, was unable to beat Nordfeldt.
Rondon was through again early in the second half but the Venezuelan took too long after shrugging off Federico Fernández and Leon Britton got back to block.
Fernández did not cover himself in glory on that occasion and ought to have done better with an excellent opportunity in the Albion area four minutes later. Gylfi Sigurdsson’s inswinging corner was flicked on by Llorente but Fernández, in a similar position to the one from which Evans scored in the first half, did not head the ball with any conviction and the chance was spurned.
Ayew was not so generous from another Swansea set-piece. Sigurdsson’s delivery, as ever, was perfect, picking out Llorente who selflessly headed across goal in the direction of Ayew. Loitering inside the six-yard box, the Swansea forward stooped to head beyond Ben Foster and the home team had the equaliser they deserved. Llorente, converting Luciano Narsingh’s cross, ensured Swansea signed off in style.
Guardian
