One-time Liberty hero comes back to deliver savage blow
AN injury-time own goal from Matt Grimes ensured Preston extended Swansea City’s losing run to four matches.
The Lancashire outfit enjoyed the better of the first half and saw Brad Potts have numerous attempts, while Ben Cabango went the closest for Swansea.
Steve Cooper’s side were once again sloppy on the ball which did little to help them test Daniel Iversen in the Preston goal.
And former Swansea hero Scott Sinclair struck at the death, with his shot going in off Grimes as the home side’s worrying run of form continued.
Lee Bowyer may well have given Cooper food for thought with his comments after his side defeated Swansea 1-0 on Friday night.
The Birmingham City boss stated his Blues side were able to capitalise on Swansea’s weaknesses given that they had not changed their shape all season.
And Cooper opted to use a 4-3-3 system from the outset against Preston, with Morgan Whittaker joining Andre Ayew and Jamal Lowe in attack.
Ryan Manning replaced Jake Bidwell, while Cabango and Conor Hourihane returned to the starting XI as Ryan Bennett, Kyle Naughton and Korey Smith dropped out.
The opening stages were reminiscent of the first half of the Sheffield Wednesday game when Swansea changed their shape in the latter stages of the 2019-20 campaign.
Fluidity was lacking, and the Lilywhites looked to cause problems from long throw-ins as the hosts adjusted to their new formation.
Preston created a glorious opportunity midway through the first half as Ryan Ledson picked out Potts in the box, although his drilled effort flew just over Freddie Woodman’s crossbar.
The signs were worrying, though, and Woodman had to punch clear soon after when Marc Guehi got in a mix-up when attempting to clear from his own box with a header.
After a messy start, Swansea showed signs of life on the halfhour mark as Whittaker had a shot blocked after a break from Lowe.
A slick passing move from the visitors carved Swansea open, but Woodman pulled off a fine one-handed save to ensure Potts was unable to put the finishing touch to a well-worked foray from Preston.
Swansea’s clearest chance came from a sublime Hourihane delivery, although Cabango was unable to head beyond Daniel Iversen from close range as the hosts continued to look blunt in attack.
Frankie Mcavoy’s side had one last chance to bulge the net before the break after winning a free-kick following a cynical foul from Guehi, although Potts was unable to keep his strike on target and the score remained goalless at the interval.
Urgency was desperately needed, and Swansea looked to up the tempo after the restart, although Woodman had to be alert to hack clear when Emil Riis threatened.
Guehi then intervened as Riis threatened before Jay Fulton drilled well over at the other end as the game remained scrappy, and Swansea continued to shoot themselves in the foot by gifting the ball away.
Fulton bravely put his face in the way of a fierce strike from Potts before the hour mark, and Swansea’s desperation became fully evident when Lowe was penalised for diving in the Preston area in an attempt to win a penalty.
Captain Grimes then had to produce a last-ditch block to ensure Potts couldn’t test Woodman with 20 minutes left on the clock.
Hourihane was unable to keep his strike on target after excellent play from Lowe out wide as the home side finally began to show some attacking intent.
Yan Dhanda and Wayne Routledge replaced Hourihane and Whittaker with 10 minutes to go as Cooper desperately looked to find a way past a stubborn Preston side.
But after Cabango had produced a heroic block just seconds earlier, Sinclair’s deflected effort earned the away side all three points to inflict a fourth straight defeat on Swansea.
■ Swansea City: Woodman; Roberts, Cabango, Guehi, Manning; Grimes (capt), Fulton, Hourihane (Dhanda 80); Lowe, Ayew, Whittaker (Routledge 80). Subs not used: Hamer, Bennett, Bidwell, Latibeaudiere, Naughton, Smith, O Cooper.
■ Preston: Iversen; van den Berg, Storey, Lindsay, Hughes; Ledson (capt), Whiteman, Potts (Molumby 80), Barkhuizen; Evans, Riis (Sinclair 75). Subs not used: Ripley, Coulton, Huntington, Gallagher, Bayliss, Bodin, Moult.
■ Referee: Peter Bankes.