x

REPORT: Aston Villa 1 Swansea City 2

The Swans winless run is finally over as they fought back from a goal down to secure all three points at Villa Park this afternoon but in the process we could have ensured that it is the end of the road for under pressure Villa boss Tim Sherwood.

Goals from Gylfi Sigurdsson and Andre Ayew cancelled out a goal from the other Ayew brother to secure the Swans a first win since the end of August and move us up to the comfort of mid table.

It may not have been the best of games and it may not have been the best of performances but the steel that the Swans showed when they went a goal behind should be the major factor that we take forward as it could have been easy for our heads to drop at that stage and not have the balls to come back from the goal down.

Sigurdsson scored a sublime free kick and Ayew was on hand to finish off Naughton's late cross to give the Swans the win we so desperately needed after Jordan Ayew exploited the space he was afforded in the Swans defence to give Villa the lead.

That goal came just seconds after Guzan had denied Andre a goal when the keeper saved well from the effort that had been created by Gomis and it was these two instances that seemed to bring the game to life after a pretty unforgettable first period.

For the Swans too many passes went astray in the first half with Shelvey and Ki significantly off form and Fernandez wasting the best chance of the half when he blasted over when it looked easier to score after Gomis knocked down a Shelvey corner.

Villa for their part were nervy and hadn't tested Fabianski until Ayew scored their goal but they did have a chance after our second but Lescott's effort made the earlier one from Fernandez look positively accurate which tells you much about how it was taken.

As we have said already this was not the Swans at their best but what was important was the win and from here we can look to kick on our season and take some of the confidence back that we seemed to have lost in recent weeks.

A massively valuable three points that are likely to see the end of Tim Sherwood at Villa but for us we can move on positively.

What to read next:

Leeds heading for the play-offs after shocker at QPR
Just when we thought we’d turned the corner with that win at Boro, we slipped back into the desperate form of the post-international break period, losing heavily to Queens Park Rangers in this critical game.
Queens Park Rangers 4 - 0 Leeds United - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
QPR Awaydaze
Our trip to Queens Park Rangers is at 8pm on Friday, thanks once again to our very good friends at Sky Sports. We’re not famous any more!
Crisis, what Crisis?
As Mark Twain might have said, rumours of the death of our promotion hopes have been greatly exaggerated. Last night’s win at Middlesbrough was a hard watch towards the end, but the vital three points has got our campaign back on track.
Middlesbrough 3 - 4 Leeds United - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
Middlesbrough Awaydaze
Our visit to Middlesbrough kicks off at 8pm tomorrow night, once again thanks to our very good friends at Sky TV. We’re not famous any more!
Leeds promotion hopes damaged by first home defeat of the season
Once again the chance to go back to the top of the table was handed to us on a plate, but we dropped the plate. This week’s frustration-fest was at the hands of Blackburn Rovers.
Leeds United 0 - 1 Blackburn Rovers - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
Annual accounts show that the club will have to sell players if we don't go up
The club released the annual accounts for the 2022/3 season this week, and despite the headline figure of an overall loss of £33.7 million, we’re not in danger of any points deduction for now. But the accumulated losses mean that player sales will be inevitable in the summer if we remain in the Championship.
Stuart Dallas thanks the fans as tributes pour in
Stuart Dallas battled hard for two years to return to the game after his serious injury, but has now had to accept that he can no longer get back to the level of fitness needed to play the game at the top level. Club Chairman Paraag Marathe led the tributes, and the player has sent an emotional open letter to all the Leeds United fans.