Fede Bessone scored a late winner to lift the Swans to the giddy heights of 3rd place in the Championship

To most leaving the Liberty Stadium this evening, the question on their lips would have been how the hell the Swans managed just one goal on a night of total domination of their visitors.

From the statistics, 67% possession tells a fair story, as does 15 corners to 2 or 14 shots at goal to 1 - the true reflection of one of the most one sided games ever seen at the Liberty and a game that lifts the Swans to their best league position for 26 years.

Bessone's thunderbolt a little under ten minutes from time was the telling statistic in the game but it could have been more as the Swans played football that far eclipsed football that was seen last season.   If Roberto Martinez laid the foundations for returning to the 'Swansea way', Paulo is taking it to the next level and with the seemingly imminent arrival of David Cotterill into the ranks things - as they say - can probably only get better.

It's now ten weeks and eleven games since the Swans were beaten in the Championship and with just 12 goals conceded in their 17 games to date (just 7 in their last 15) this is a side who give little away and have the ability to dominate games to the extent that we witnessed this evening.

And that is a side that for tonight started without Garry Monk, Joe Allen, Jordi Lopez and Stephen Dobbie - all reasonably regular starters this season not to mention the watching Cotterill who has been reported as about to become the club's record signing.  

And all of this has been achieved under a summer of turmoil that saw last season's two leading goalscorers and most of the backroom staff up sticks and follow the departing Roberto Martinez to Wigan.   And that's before you throw into the mix the long term missing Ferrie Bodde.   Getting the picture of what is being achieved here yet?

The Swans lined up as follows

De Vries

Rangel     Tate     Williams     Bessone

Dyer     Britton     Pratley     Orlandi     Van Der Gun

Beattie

The Swans intentions were made clear in the early stages as the one touch football basically left Derby chasing shadows from as early as the second minute.   With ten men behind the ball they seemed content to soak up what the Swans could throw at them even though it seemed from those early stages it was only ever going to be a matter of time before the first goal came.  Indeed, you would be forgiven for thinking even after ten minutes it was a case of "how many" rather than "what if"

Nathan Dyer's pace was a constant threat to a Derby defence who resorted almost all evening to the long hoof forward even if it was only most of the time just designed to release the pressure they were being forced under.   Fede Bessone at left full back is a player unrecognisable from the one that played last season - he now looks every inch the left hand sided version of Angel Rangel that we have wanted to see since he joined the club.  Indeed, when Garry Monk is deemed fit to be back into the side then Paulo now has a huge selection headache but one of the nicest varieties that a manager could have - how do you fit five top quality players into a four man machine?    Over to you Paulo...

In midfield, Darren Pratley was showing Robbie Savage that you don't have to have £30k a week going into your bank account and pretty hair to become a midfielder.  Indeed, Pratley was showing that you have to have skill and belief and most importantly desire as he ran rings round the former Welsh midfielder to the delight of the East Stand.   Savage was left chasing total shadows and protesting to the referee presumably using the line "ref they are better than us" because - quite simply - we were.

And up front.  Craig Beattie.   Weren't we told when he signed that the 'panic buy' was slow, overweight, useless and a waste of money.   Well, step forward Craig Beattie's twin brother who is none of those things then.   Beattie's first touch was excellent, his link play with Dyer and Pratley was incredible and he chased back every time he was asked.   All that was missing from this performance was the goal but even the very best cannot score every game.   Make no mistake Beattie is an excellent signing - not just a goalscorer but an excellent footballer to boot.

Factor all of these things in and then throw in the rest of the players (and nobody had a bad game) and you understand why Derby were struggling to contain us and why the match stats read as they did.

The Swans probed at every opportunity - Dyer and Van Der Gun were constantly putting balls into the box and the flurry of corners always looked threatening - Bywater on one occasion being forced to an excellent stop from Beattie after a precise delivery from a Pratley one.

Every time the Swans gave the ball away they seemed to win it back almost immediately so much so that Dorus at one stage may have wondered if he had ever had an easier night.

Half time was goalless but Swansea stuck to their game plan and as Derby became tired - and they were always going to on a night like this - spaces opened up.  Allen replaced Orlandi (no reflection on the performance of Andrea who was excellent) and the fresh legs created further problems for the visiting defence.

And it was that very player who eventually made the difference as he threaded a perfect through ball to Bessone on a charging run with the full back looking up and smashing a shot past Bywater and into the back of the net.   The Liberty erupted and the party was starting.  Bessone was mobbed by his team mates - Paulo and Bruno hugged on the touchline and the near perfect footballing performance had finally got it's reward - the Swans were winning.

Derby tried to get back into the game but such was the Swans' domination that they never threatened in the remaining ten minutes.   The Swans could - and probably should - have extended the lead and bar a couple of wrong decisions on breaks they probably would have.

3rd place may only for this week be a temporary position but there is no reason in watching this side at the moment why we cannot maintain that and with the quality of players we have to add into tonight's line up there is every reason to be confident.

Of course next week is the ultimate test in the division's leaders and whilst they may start as favourites (as they do most weeks) we are one of the form teams in this division and on tonight's evidence you underestimate us at your peril.

SOUSA!

Photo: Action Images

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