Clement in with a shout at Swansea
Llorente on target, then Stoke make them sweat
PAUL CLEMENT thrust his arms out in front of him and screamed upwards to t he heavens. He repeated the motion, twice, three times, four times, each movement taking him a sidestep closer to the corner flag where his players were celebrating.
He briefly considered the full Jose Mourinho dash down the touchline. Sanity won over and Clement paused halfway, remembering there is still an awfully long way to go if Swansea are to maintain their Premier League status.
Yet we can forgive him the visceral release. A couple of pulsating, nerve-jangling moments had passed by in front of the Swansea manager. His team were leading 1-0 in the 68th minute of this game, through Fernando Llorente’s early header, when their world threatened to cave in.
A si l ky exchange of passes between Stoke’s Xherdan Shaqiri and Marko Arnautovic had set the Swiss winger free in the penalty area. As Shaqiri steadied himself, Swansea’s Federico Fernandez crashed clumsily through the back of the forward. Referee Michael Oliver pointed to the penalty spot.
In truth, it was unfair that Swansea were subjected to the trauma i n the first place. Arnautovic appeared to be marginally offside during the early stages of the move. Justice was done as the Austrian stepped up and sidefooted the ball over the bar. Relief permeated the Welsh air and within a minute, fret- ful Swansea faces had turned jubilant. Tom Carroll collected possession 30 yards out from goal and dispatched a speculative effort towards goal. The pace on the strike was good but the most wicked of deflections off Joe Allen carried the ball swerving into the air and dipping beyond the reach of Jack Butland in the Stoke goal.
Every Swansea player headed to the corner flag. This was a goal that meant more to Swansea than the preservation of three points. This was a goal that revitalised Swansea’s season.
‘We have our confidence back,’ said Clement. ‘We had a little bit of luck with the penalty miss and then the deflection goes in the top corner. I feel more positive. It’s a vibrant dressing room. Hopefully it gives us impetus. Hull are in the driving seat, but we are breathing down their necks and we will do that to the wire.’
Swansea were not excellent here but that does not really y matmat ter. A win was required and that is exactly what they y achieved.
A trip to Old Trafford beckons next Sunday and this only amplified the pressure on a team that came into this game on the back off ivee defeats and one draw from om the last six games. During uring that time, Swansea had scored only two goals.
Now, though, the battle goes on. It goes on because Swansea defended with stubborn authority and also because in Leon Britton, they had a commanding and composed mid- field presence. Peculiarly, this was the 34-year-old’s first appearance under Clement. Britton i s no stranger to a relegation battle. He was a SwanseaS player when they avoided relegation fromfro the old Division ThreeT in 2003 and 14 yearsy on, his leadership remainsr inspiring. In Llorente, they also haveh a player that turns opportunityo into certaintytai in front of goal. The Spaniard, 32, now has 12 Pre Premier League goals for the season and his firepower offers Swansea a fighting chance. His header, straightfoward and wellplaced from a corner on the tenminute mark, ensured Swansea had something to protect. In matches such as these, tense and tight, the significance of the first goal cannot be overstated.
Stoke, who have won only five of t heir l ast 20 Premier League games, threatened only intermittently. Saido Berahino, still a shadow of the player that emerged with such promise a few years ago, headed wide from close range when allowed the freedom the penalty area. On the stroke of halftime, Berahino planted another header straight into the arms of Lukasz Fabianski.
After the second goal, Swansea never looked back. Carroll and Ayew were both repelled by outs t anding Butland s aves, who impressed on his return from longterm injury. But this was Swansea’s day. Smiles adorned the faces of their players’ once more, the angst relieved.