Shot-shy Swansea waste chance to return to top two

For the fourth consecutive game, Andre Ayew held his nerve from the penalty spot, but Swansea City still missed the chance to leapfrog Watford and return to the automatic promotion places after a 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers.

The Welsh side, the lowest scorers of the top five, mustered a solitary shot on target away to a team who had lost six of their past eight games, but had more shots and pressure. “I didn’t love the game and I didn’t love our performance, but it could have been worse,” Steve Cooper, the Swansea manager, said. “We were below par at times. But if you don’t play well, make sure you don’t lose.”

Ayew spared them defeat when Sam Gallagher caught Jay Fulton. “The kid puts his foot in front of Sam when he is winding up a big clearance,” said Tony Mowbray, the Blackburn manager. Thomas Kaminski got a hand to Ayew’s penalty, it still crossed the line.

Blackburn had led for only four minutes. A cruciate ligament injury meant Bradley Dack had scored a lone goal in 15 months. Now he has two in four days, and he timed his run into Swansea’s box perfectly to meet Tom Trybull’s through ball.

In the division’s other match last night, Queens Park Rangers added to the woes of bottom side Wycombe Wanderers. Ilias Chair scored the only goal, in the 23rd minute, firing home after a superb dribble and cross by Chris Willock.

The London club’s fourth home win in five games saw them jump four places to 12th, while Wycombe are five points drift.