Swans fly to new heights
BEST PREM SEASON... GETS BETTER!
JEFFERSON MONTERO’S first goal for Swansea will never be replayed as a title clincher – but it did for Stoke in the shoot-out for the status of ‘best of the rest’.
The little Ecuadorian stooped to head home Jonjo Shelvey’s cross for the opener before Ki Sung-Yueng rammed in a second in stoppage time.
Stoke had Marc Wilson sent off in the 84th minute for a second yellow card, but Swansea’s superiority was marked by then, after an uneventful first-half.
A scorer from Ecuador and another from South Korea reflect the global span of a homely club who now look certain to finish in a best-ever eighth spot in the Premier League. Even before kick-off they could boast their best PL points tally, with 50.
Okay, so the battle for that slot just behind the European chasers may not float many boats beyond South Wales and the Potteries. Mayweather vs Pacquiao, it was not.
But Swansea manager Garry Monk had billed this game as a kind of micro title decider, as Stoke would have moved into eighth had they managed to win at Swansea for the first time in six visits.
As it was, the Swans, who will pocket £1.25million more for eighth over ninth, are now six points clear of the clubs below them and Monk was prepared to admit he is looking upwards.
He said: “Today was all about consolidating our top-10 finish. That was the big target. This win helps us control that eighth spot. Catching the clubs above us is feasible, but we have three very tough games coming up.
“I had a few words to say at half-time. The tempo was not as it should have been, but, thankfully, we got the right reaction.”
Stoke never really got to grips with the trickery of Montero in the first half and were equally exposed by Nathan Dyer in the second period.
But both goals were part created by Shelvey, the midfielder crossing for Montero’s diving header and then pulling back a pass for Ki to fire home. Shelvey said: “We have to keep pushing. The gaffer won’t let us rest. He’s pushed us harder than ever this week.”
Stoke manager Mark Hughes admitted: “In the first half we looked very comfortable, but we didn’t ask too many questions in the second half. Our creative play was a bit lacking. Swansea changed things around and put pressure on us.”
THOMAS’S VERDICT
Unlike Stoke, Swansea had the ability to raise the tempo after a poor first half thanks to the pace of Montero and Dyer.