Swans make point to stay unbeaten on the road
Swansea City remain unbeaten away from home in the Championship this season as they claimed a hard-earned point against Huddersfield Town last night.
Jay Fulton netted his first goal of the campaign to put Swansea ahead in the 18th minute, although Karlan Grant equalised three minutes before half-time.
Huddersfield had Trevor Chalobah sent off late on after the midfielder appeared to nudge his head into the face of George Byers.
But neither side managed to find a late winner, with Swansea taking a point back to South Wales ahead of Friday’s meeting with Fulham at the Liberty Stadium.
The Swans went into the match as the only side in the EFL yet to lose away from home in the league this term. As for the Terriers, they were unbeaten in their last five outings on home soil.
Following an abject display against Millwall, Steve Cooper made four changes to his starting XI, with Connor Roberts, Jay Fulton, Kristoffer Peterson and Borja Baston all getting the nod for the first time since the 3-0 loss to Brentford.
Kyle Naughton and Byers dropped to the bench while the experienced duo of Wayne Routledge and Nathan Dyer missed out on the matchday squad altogether.
And Barrie McKay was something of a surprise inclusion on the bench, with the Scot featuring in a Championship squad for the first time since the opening day of the campaign.
As for the hosts, they went with the same 11 that started the 1-1 draw with Birmingham at the weekend.
And Huddersfield were the more threatening of the two sides early on, with Chalobah almost catching Freddie Woodman off guard with an effort from 25 yards out after just two minutes. Juninho Bacuna whipped an inviting cross into the box in the ninth minute, although Grant couldn’t apply the vital touch as the Terriers struggled to translate their early pressure into clear-cut chances.
And having weathered the early storm, Swansea made Huddersfield pay in ruthless fashion when Fulton lashed into the roof of the net from a recycled corner to give the visitors the lead with what was their first attempt on target.
But Ben Wilmot very nearly gifted Huddersfield an equaliser four minutes later as his under-hit back pass just about reached Woodman, whose clearance was deflected behind by the onrushing Fraizer Campbell.
Both sides were guilty of some naughty challenges, with Jonathan Hogg and Campbell both earning cautions for Huddersfield, although the Swansea players escaped punishment from Australian referee Jarred Gillett.
However, following a prolonged spell where goal-scoring opportunities were minimal, it was a free-kick awarded to the hosts that led to the equaliser as Alex Pritchard’s deflected strike fell nicely to Grant, who coolly slotted beyond Woodman to make it 1-1. Despite Swansea’s impressive defensive effort, it was probably fair that the sides were level at the break.
But Cooper was dealt a blow as Mike van der Hoorn was forced off at the interval after being fouled by Campbell, with Ben Cabango coming on for his first taste of league action.
To his credit, the young Welshman cut a composed figure as Huddersfield started the second half on the front foot, with Cabango doing well to cut out Lewis O’Brien’s teasing cross. Woodman then made another fingertip save 12 minutes after the restart to deny Pritchard after Andre Ayew had tripped Hogg.
Swansea struggled to carry much of a threat, although Borja spectacularly failed with an overhead kick attempt from a Matt Grimes freekick shortly after Byers had replaced Bersant Celina after the hour mark.
Cowley’s troops were well on top by this point, although they also continued to create precious little until Bacuna fired a thumping volley wide from a narrow angle.
Sam Surridge replaced Peterson for the final quarter of the match, although it was still one-way traffic as Woodman stooped down low to palm away Pritchard’s strike.
Wilmot put in a stunning sliding challenge to thwart Steve Mounie before Jake Bidwell did the exact same after Cabango headed Grimes’s cross wide of the mark at the other end.
Surridge brilliantly created an opening for himself after shrugging off the attention of his marker, although Kamil Grabara denied the Englishman with his legs.
There was still time for controversy as Chalobah was shown a straight red card four minutes from time for an apparent head-butt on Byers.
But neither side could find a late winner as the spoils were shared in West Yorkshire, with Swansea returning to action against Fulham on Friday night.
Teams – Huddersfield Town:
Grabara; Bacuna, Schindler (capt), Stankovic, O’Brien; Chalobah, Hogg; Kachunga, Pritchard (Diakhaby 79), Grant (Hadergjonaj 87); Campbell (Mounie 69). Subs: Coleman, Kongolo, Koroma, Daly.
Swansea City:
Woodman; Roberts, van der Hoorn (Cabango 46), Wilmot, Bidwell; Fulton, Grimes (C); Ayew, Celina (Byers 61), Peterson (Surridge 68); Borja. Subs: Nordfeldt, Naughton, McKay, Dhanda.
Mr Jarred Gillett
Referee: