SWANS ARE STILL LEFT SEARCHING FOR HOME COMFORTS
SWANSEA City remain without a home league win under Luke Williams, following a disappointing defeat at the hands of high-flying Ipswich Town at the Swansea.com Stadium.
The visitors took the lead after just 13 minutes courtesy of Wales international Nathan Broadhead, before Jerry Yates restored parity with his eighth goal of the season.
However, Ipswich were not to be denied, and secured all three points just four minutes later through Conor Chaplin.
Kieffer Moore saw an effort pushed onto the crossbar by Swansea goalkeeper Carl Rushworth, while substitute Wes Burns also found the woodwork deep into stoppage-time.
Swansea had their chances, but were ultimately left frustrated once again, slumping to their sixth defeat in seven games in all competitions.
They now sit just four points above the relegation zone following this result, a state of affairs that might well deepen any existing anxiety over a possible relegation battle.
Williams was visibly frustrated when picking over the bones of his side’s 4-0 hammering at the hands of promotion contenders Leeds United on Tuesday, accusing his side of being too timid in the face of the admittedly sizeable challenge presented by Daniel Farke’s men. He might well have been equally annoyed by this showing, which took place in horrendous conditions in south Wales.
Williams opted for four changes for this encounter, with veteran midfielder Joe Allen handed his first league start of an injury-plagued season, but his gameplan was probably scuppered by some questionable defending from the off.
Ipswich, in contrast, were coming into this contest fresh off the back of an impressive thumping of Millwall in midweek, and they exuded the appropriate amount of confidence for much of the afternoon.
Leif Davis forced Rushworth into a brilliant fingertip save early on, while Cameron Burgess somehow guided his header wide from Sam Morsy’s cross following the resulting corner.
But Swansea’s unnerving hospitality at the back was finally punished a few minutes later. Omari Hutchinson got the better of Josh Tymon deep inside the Swans half, sending Broadhead clean through, and the Wales international duly applied a dinked finish to net his 11th goal of the season.
An encouraging sight from a Wales point of view. A source of deep frustration for the Swans.
Fellow Wales international Moore, who was unsurprisingly reminded of his Cardiff City connections for much of the afternoon, should have extended his side’s lead just after 20
minutes, heading just wide from a driven Davis corner.
The former Bluebirds man did hit the target on the half-hour mark, but his angled drive was this time denied by a smart Rushworth save.
Ipswich were firmly in control, with Swansea’s back line looking increasingly punch-drunk with every intrusive jab from the visitors.
And yet, just a few minutes later, the hosts restored parity.
A short free-kick allowed Matt Grimes to lift a superb ball into the box and Cabango, the villain for the opening goal, was on hand to head back across goal, with the onrushing Yates on hand to scuff the ball in off the post for his first league goal since December.
Not the tidiest of finishes by any stretch, but given the criticism aimed his way in recent weeks, an important strike for the number nine, as evidenced by his insistence on grabbing the ball and running back to the centre spot.
If there did happen to be any euphoria there, it lasted approximately four minutes.
A simple long ball down the left from Burgess found Davis, who coasted past Kyle Naughton with ease before squaring for Chaplin to sweep home.
Chaplin then skewed an effort well wide after the break as Ipswich remained on the front foot, while Massimo Luongo warmed the palms of Rushworth with tame a effort from distance.
Yates perhaps should have doubled his tally moments later, but couldn’t quite connect with a deft flick from Grimes following Ronald’s dinked cross.
Those signs of life from Swansea would surely have been snuffed out had Rushworth not pushed Moore’s rasping effort onto the bar just after the hour.
It was a save that kept Swansea in it, and Williams subsequently rolled the dice, sending on Mykola Kuharevich on as part of a triple substitution.
Fans here have been clamouring for the Ukrainian to be given a chance given their side’s frustrations in the final third, and they might well have been celebrating a momentous equaliser had the striker kept a header down from Tymon’s cross.
Swansea were pushing, but Rushworth still had to be alert to what remained a potent Ipswich counterattack.
The Brighton loanee getting down well to deny substitute Jeremy Sarmiento’s low drive.
Liam Cullen then saw a header gathered by Vaclav Hladky in the Ipswich goal as the hosts continued to knock on the door. The Czech had to work a little harder to claw Harry Darling’s deflected effort away moments later.
Cullen then fired a free-kick straight into the wall, an effort that arguably summed up their efforts in the final third, while Burns saw an effort from a narrow angle come back off the post in stoppage-time at the other end.
Ultimately, this was another dismal day for the hosts, who are yet to register a single point at home under Williams.
If Swansea are to steer clear of trouble, that will urgently have to change.