Swans let it slip as play-off hopes suffer a big blow
SWANSEA City twice relinquished the lead as their play-off hopes were dealt a crushing blow after a draw with Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
Rhian Brewster’s ninth goal for Swansea along with an Andre Ayew penalty saw Steve Cooper’s side lead on two occasions in Nottingham.
Although Sammy Ameobi cancelled out each of those efforts to ensure the game ended level, with Swansea - who had Kyle Naughton sent off late on now three points adrift of the Championship’s top six with just two matches remaining.
Swansea were dealt a blow before a ball was even kicked as Freddie Woodman was ruled out for the remainder of the campaign as a result of the injury he sustained late on in the 1-0 defeat to Leeds United.
And the Newcastle United loanee’s absence paved the way for Erwin Mulder to make his first start of the season, with academy product Josh Gould listed among the substitutes.
The only other change from the loss to Marcelo Bielsa’s side saw Mike van der Hoorn make his first start for Swansea since the 1-0 win over Charlton in January, with Ben Cabango dropping to the bench.
The Swans went into the match four points adrift of the Championship’s top six after promotion rivals Cardiff City and Millwall claimed vital wins over Derby and Blackburn respectively.
And with remaining fixtures appearing to favour the Bluebirds and the Lions, anything other than victory for Swansea in Nottingham would have proven hugely damaging for their aspirations of securing a playoff spot.
Forest went into the game knowing that a win would seal their place in the top six. But it was the visitors that enjoyed the better of the opening stages, with Ayew heading Jake Bidwell’s cross wide inside four minutes.
The hosts couldn’t get near Swansea early on, and the Swans took a deserved lead in the eighth minute as Conor Gallagher combined with Bidwell who picked out Brewster in the box, with the Liverpool loanee expertly lashing into the roof of the net.
It was no more than the Swans’ impressive start warranted as they dominated proceedings, although they will have been disappointed not to go 2-0 up soon after when Ayew squared to Connor Roberts, but the Welshman couldn’t get a shot away from 10 yards out.
And they were left to rue those missed opportunities as Ameobi curled beyond Mulder from the edge of the box to level proceedings prior to the first drinks break of the match.
That certainly didn’t dampen Swansea’s spirits as they continued to look dangerous with every attack, although it clearly served as a wake-up call for Sabri Lamouchi’s men who saw Ameobi fire inches wide a few minutes before the break after Matt Grimes had a shot blocked from a well worked set-piece.
But it was Cooper’s side that had the advantage at half-time as Ayew was adjudged to have been brought down by Ryan Yates, and referee Oliver Langford had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot.
The Ghana international stepped up to take it himself, and he sent Brice Samba the wrong way to register his 17th goal of the campaign and, crucially, give Swansea the lead.
Forest showed more urgency after the restart, with van der Hoorn and Jay Fulton blocking shots in quick succession while Swansea remained threatening on the counter attack.
Although the hosts were level 10 minutes after the break as Ameobi ghosted beyond Bidwell and Grimes before lashing home from 25 yards out, with Mulder unable to get near the attacker’s driven strike.
Swansea looked a little nervy after that second Forest equaliser, and Grabban drilled over soon after Cabango had replaced van der Hoorn, although he was in an offside position.
The Swans desperately needed to regain some control while also going in search of a winner, and Cooper responded by sending on Bersant Celina for the final 20 minutes, with Fulton making way.
Lamouchi responded himself by making a triple substitution to freshen things up late on.
However, Swansea were reduced to 10-men as Naughton cynically brought down Alex Mighten as Forest broke from a Swansea corner, and he was shown a straight red card.
It left the Swans with an uphill task, and neither side could find a late winner which ensured the points were shared, with Swansea’s play-off aspirations dealt a crippling blow in the process.