Happy ending does not mask the need for so much better... THE LAST WORD ANDREW GWILYM AT THE LIBERTY STADIUM > andrew.gwilym@trinitymirror.com

THE final analysis will show Swansea City escaped relegation with something to spare, but those who stayed behind to pay tribute to their heroes after this battling win over West Brom will know it could have been so very different, and that the hard work starts now.

Swansea finished three places above the bottom three, and seven points clear of 18th-placed Hull.

Those statistics feel somewhat mind-boggling when you consider they were behind Marco Silva’s side just 15 days ago. Indeed, many expected Swansea to be five points adrift, rather than one clear, when Hull met Sunderland ahead of the Swans clash with Everton.

The final table does not do justice to the scale of the battle.

Paul Clement wraps up his first half-season in charge of a Premier League club having broken Swansea’s best points tally over that period, with 29 points from 19 games.

Indeed, the 13 points from the final 15 is the best Swansea have managed in a five-game period during their stint in the top-flight.

There were many who questioned Clement’s appointment, some harshly, but those involved in the process believed they had found a man in the classic Swansea mould of recent years.

Young, hungry, ambitious, committed to trying to play good football. He could barely have wished to have done any better and – no matter how the rest of his spell in South Wales turns out – he will be owed a debt of gratitude for having rescued Swansea from what had appeared to be an almost hopeless situation when Bob Bradley was dismissed at the end of 2016.

But, with the great escape completed, the work begins to ensure Swansea do not find themselves in such a desperate situation again.

Whether you consider a major overhaul to be required, or just a handful of new faces, the resources need to be in place for the squad to be strengthened and, where possible, to retain other players.

Standing still on the back of such a vastly-improved second half of the campaign would be a recipe for disaster. The months ahead are vitally important.

For now, Swans fans can bask in the afterglow, however brief it may prove to be.

Safety was already secured, but it said much about the attitude shown under Clement that – after a belowpar first-half – Swansea refused to accept their lot and battled to make sure they finished the season on a winning note.

They had made a decent enough start, Leroy Fer blasting high over the angle of the bar from a Gylfi Sigurdsson cutback – a reminder, not that one were needed, of the quality the Iceland international brings to the side and would be missed if he departs this summer.

Sigurdsson was soon involved again, racing onto a sumptuous lofted pass from Tom Carroll – impressive and lively in midfield again – but his attempted ball across to Fernando Llorente could not find its target.

At the other end Salomon Rondon – scorer of a 13-minute hat-trick against the Swans at The Hawthorns in December – was making his presence felt, nodding one header tamely at Kristoffer Nordfeldt and firing straight at the Swede when he should have done better from Darren Fletcher’s lovely pass.

It felt like typical end-of-season fair. There was not the usual intensity or cut and thrust, and Swansea were guilty of switching off for Jonny Evans’ 33rd-minute opener.

The Welsh club had not conceded from a set-piece since Clement’s January arrival, but that ended when a deep corner found Evans unmarked – and Nordfeldt in no-man’s land – for the Northern Ireland international to head the Baggies ahead.

Swansea struggled for some fluency as the second half resumed and only a brilliant cover tackle from Leon Britton ensured Rondon did not double the visitors’ lead.

The striker appeared to clearly foul Federico Fernandez, but referee Mike Dean waved play on and the captain was there when it mattered – as so often in recent weeks.

From the let-off, Swansea built up a head of steam.

Fernandez should have turned in a Fer flick-on from Sigurdsson’s corner, while Alfie Mawson flashed a header across the face of goal.

But Jordan Ayew made no mistake with 18 minutes to play, timing his run as Llorente powerful header from Sigurdsson’s free-kick allowed the Ghanaian to net a thoroughly-deserved first Swansea goal.

The momentum was now with the hosts, and a smart counter provided the winner with five minutes to play as Luciano Narsingh’s measured cross – as part of a fine cameo from the bench – allowed Llorente to volley home his 15th goal of the season, the Spaniard’s best return since helping Juventus win Serie A in 2013-14.