Swansea City earned their first away victory in three months, with the new manager Francesco Guidolin leading them from the touchline, as Gilfy Sigurdsson and Andre Ayew secured the points against Everton at Goodison Park.
It was a game to remember for all the travelling fans from Wales, as their beloved team finally showed the spirit of a proper Premier League side. The newly appointed manager Guidolin will be happy his team won twice in a week, after Swansea beat Watford on Monday.
The Swans put up a great fight away from home, and forced Roberto Martinez’s side to make errors through their great pressure in all parts of the pitch. Everton did have the initiative for most of the game, especially in the second half, but the impressive defensive work from Ashley Williams and his teammates stopped the thrilling attack of the Toffees, as Romelu Lukaku, Ross Barkley and Gerard Deulofeu were unable to score.
Neil Taylor makes impact in both directions
Compared to Andre Ayew’s cunning penalty extortion and a sleek second half goal, Neil Taylor couldn’t be the man of the match, but his performance was almost as brilliant. Swansea’s defender seemed as good as ever on the left touchline, fighting with former Barcelona prodigy, Gerard Deulofeu, on one part of the pitch, and troubling Bryan Oviedo in the attacking third.
Deulofeu often had to track back, as the Welshman rushed forward, and Taylor’s assist for Ayew’s goal was a brilliant indicator of his display. Taylor made a swift break through Everton’s midfield and made a perfect forward pass to give the Ghanaian star a chance, which materialised as a goal. Taylor also had a handful of important ball recoveries in front of Swansea’s box, which helped ease the pressure on Williams and Federico Fernandez, as well.
Ayew silences the Goodison Park crowd, with the help of John Stones. #EVESWA pic.twitter.com/TWJN8gTRS2
— 138.com (@138dotcom) January 24, 2016
Everton need solidity before exploiting talents
Roberto Martinez will continue to feel the media pressure as long as his side concedes goals the way they did against the Swans. John Stones’ poor back pass was exploited by Ayew to earn a penalty, as Tim Howard was late rushing out and Stones’ late tackle on Ayew’s shot from the left showed how easily the visitors were getting into great positions. If only Wayne Routledge and Gylfi Sigurdsson were calmer in key situations, Everton would have conceded at least two more goals.
But, the Toffees do have a great front line, which scored a staggering 40 goals, with only Leicester City, Manchester City and Tottenham scoring more goals. The big difference is the silly goals Everton seem to be conceding every game, and with 34 goals in back of their own net, Martinez’s side sits 12th on the table, eight positions behind Champions League challengers – Spurs. The solidity at the back is needed for the starlets upfront to shine and push the team up the table.
Swansea’s character good sign in relegation battle
After Guidolin’s first win as the official manager, Swansea will have an easier schedule in February. They travel to West Brom and have home games against Crystal Palace and Southampton, which aren’t ‘six-pointers’ like the games against Sunderland or Aston Villa, but they are still very winnable. The team’s character in these last two wins must be an encouragement for Swansea fans.
Everton made 20 shots on Sunday, yet only two of them were on target – Gareth Barry’s lucky equalizer and Barkley’s non-troubling shot from distance. In the last quarter of an hour, the home team was putting huge pressure on Swansea, yet the manner in which the away side closed the game shows the team’s resolve to climb up the table.
None of Swansea’s relegation battle rivals have won six points in these two rounds and if they continue this good form before the clashes against Tottenham and Arsenal arrive, Swansea will be far from the bottom three places.
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