Coleman keeps pressure on luckless Swansea
Bob Bradley must wonder when his fortunes are going to change. Swansea’s American manager was moments from enjoying his first Premier League victory, and his new club’s first since the opening day of the season.
Everton, labouring badly as they tried to recover from going behind to Gylfi Sigurdsson’s first-half penalty, were showing little sign of saving themselves.
Then, as the ball bounced around Swansea’s penalty area, with little apparent danger, Seamus Coleman looped a header into the net for an equaliser. There were 80 seconds of the 90 minutes remaining.
Yet heartbreaking finishes like this give the impression that time is already running out for Swansea this year, and Everton will also take precious little comfort from their afternoon’s work.
Coleman’s equaliser did not paper over the cracks of Everton’s off-key performance, even if it preserved their unbeaten home record and extended Swansea’s winless run to 11 games.
As for Bradley, there were signs of encouragement, and his post-match pragmatic optimism is exactly the kind of medicine Swansea need.
“We have a bunch of guys that are angry today and disappointed,” Bradley said. “That’s the way it should be when you concede a late goal like that but we can find some things that are positive.
“The work to turn our season around has to continue. There are some positives, but after 12 matches, when we’re in the position we’re in, the road ahead is a long and hard one.
“It is one we can definitely handle but we have to keep going. It’s fine to call every game a ‘must-win’ at the moment. That’s the spot we’re in.” Bradley’s early weeks have been marked by tactical deficiencies and defensive vulnerability so he took a risk by making eight changes, starting without a recognised striker and switching his formation from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3.
A dormant opening was ended when Sigurdsson almost scored with a freekick 20 minutes in. His effort was turned over by a flying Maarten Stekelenburg after taking a slight deflection off Everton’s wall. Meanwhile, the home side constantly fluffed their lines when given the chance to change the game’s tempo with a goal.
An unmarked Romelu Lukaku, whose long-term future at Goodison Park has been called into question by Ronald Koeman over the last week, diverted Yannick Bolasie’s driven cross over the crossbar from four yards out, moments before Ross Barkley ruined a fine turn with a shot scuffed wide.
As the home side’s fans began to barrack, the home side’s defence began to crumble. Shortly before the interval, Sigurdsson latched on to Modou Barrow’s first-time hooked pass and cut inside a panicking Phil Jagielka, who brought him down.
The Iceland international sent Stekelenburg the wrong way with a confident penalty, and Swansea maintained their lead to half-time as Lukasz Fabianski stood up to block, with Bolasie clean through moments later.
Everton’s frustrations grew as the skies darkened. Bolasie headed a Coleman cross straight at the goalkeeper; Leighton Baines thudded a free-kick into Swansea’s wall from just outside the penalty area. Koeman’s players became jittery as the howls of anguish from the stands grew louder.
Everton increased the pressure as the clock ticked down, with Kevin Mirallas, Gerard Deulofeu and Enner Valencia thrown on in an attempt to salvage the match. Sigurdsson might have made the game safe at the other end, driving against Stekelenburg from a tight angle after being played in by Jack Cork, but the chance was missed.
At the other end, Coleman’s effort did not. Those are the margins and the stakes at play in the Premier League. Those are the moments that decide a match. Swansea now have to make sure it is not a moment that helps decides their fate this season.
“I think we deserved the equaliser,” Koeman said. “I expected the reaction to the Chelsea [5-1 loss] at the start of the game, not at the start of the second half. I was very angry at half-time.”