Swans soar into last eight

SWANSEA

J Ayew 55, Dyer 80

2

SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY 0

Swansea reached their first FA Cup quarter-final since 1964 with a 2-0 home victory over Sheffield Wednesday.

Jordan Ayew, on as a halftime substitute, scored the opener before Nathan Dyer settled matters ten minutes from time.

Dyer raced on to Tammy Abraham’s pass to slot his shot between the legs of Owls goalkeeper Cameron Dawson and ensure Swansea manager Carlos Carvalhal would taste victory against the club he left in December.

Those second-half goals saw Swansea through on a night when the temperature dial had fallen below zero at kick-off. The so-called ‘Beast from the East’ might have brought a chill air to south Wales, but this fifth-round replay often struggled to warm the sparse crowd.

There will undoubtedly be more present when Swansea host either Tottenham or Rochdale in the quarterfinal next month, with those teams replaying at Wembley tonight.

And it will stir long memories of the previous time that Swansea graced the last eight of the FA Cup, Bill Shankly’s Liverpool humbled 2-1 at Anfield before Preston inflicted semi-final pain.