OBAFEMI ROCKS RAGGED ROVERS
SWANSEA City held on with ten men to claim a surprise win over automatic promotion hopefuls Blackburn Rovers.
A 16th-minute header from Michael Obafemi was enough to claim all three points for the hosts, despite defender Ryan Manning’s dismissal eight minutes into the second half.
The victory, only their second in ten games, saw Swansea climb to 16th in the Championship table, while Rovers remain second but miss the chance to gain ground on leaders Fulham.
Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray handed debuts to Wales international Ryan Hedges, signed from Aberdeen last week, and Ryan Giles, who joined on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers having spent the first half of the season at Swansea’s arch rivals Cardiff City.
Joe Rothwell also returned to the starting XI, while top scorer Ben Brereton-Diaz was only a substitute after returning from international duty with Chile.
Mowbray’s men forced Swansea on to the back foot early on with a series of lightning quick attacks down the flanks.
John Buckley could have given them a dream start in only the second minute but he scuffed his shot into the grateful arms of Andy Fisher from Ryan Nyambe’s cross.
But the hosts weathered the early storm and took the lead in the 16th minute with their first attack of note.
Jamie Paterson made the difference on his return to the side with a superb cross for Obafemi at the far post. Paterson curled a shot just over the top from the edge of the area soon afterwards but Blackburn responded well.
Darragh Lenihan headed against a post, Giles saw a shot palmed to safety, and Hedges flashed a shot across goal and wide in first-half stoppage time.
Lenihan’s last-ditch tackle then denied Joël Piroe a oneon-one with Rovers stopper Thomas Kaminski five minutes into the second half.
But the momentum shifted when Manning was shown a second yellow for a high boot on Lenihan after 54 minutes.
Mowbray sent on Brereton-Diaz and Reda Khadra for Hedges and Deyovaisio Zeefuik in an attempt to turn the screw, while City boss Russell Martin set up for a defensive battle, with Ryan Bennett and Korey Smith replacing Olivier Ntcham and goalscorer Obafemi.
The Blackburn boss then played his final card, sacrificing another wing-back as Nyambe was replaced by Joe Rankin-Costello to crank up the pressure on the home defence. And Swansea responded with Joel Latibeaudiere, another defender, replacing their top scorer Piroe.
It was backs-to-the-wall stuff at times but the Welsh side held firm to frustrate their opponents.
SWANSEA CITY: Fisher 8, Cabango 8, Downes 7, Manning 5, Christie 7, Ntcham 6 (Smith 58, 6), Grimes 7, Wolf 7, Paterson 7, Piroe 6 (Latibeaudiere 72, 6), Obafemi 7 (Bennett 55, 6). Subs not used: Hamer, Burns, Fulton, Joseph.
BLACKBURN ROVERS: Kaminski 6, Nyambe 7 (Rankin-Costello 68, 6), Lenihan 7, Van Hecke 6, Wharton 7, Zeefuik 6 (Khadra 60, 6), Travis 7, Rothwell 6, Buckley 6, Giles 7, Hedges 6 (Brereton-Diaz 60, 6). Subs not used: Pears, Ayala, Davenport, Johnson.