Vitor Matos grabbed his second win on the bang as the Swans beat Portsmouth in what can only be described as a mediocre game by recent Swansea standards. Mediocre it may well have been but these are the games to win, and this was one hell of a six pointer. In this crazy league that puts the Swans eight points off the play offs and six from the last relegation spot.
The Swans have been urged by head coach Vitor Matos to counter press and be far sharper in midfield battles and they were pretty much like that from the off. It was Eom on the left who moved forwards on three minutes but his cross shot evaded Adam Idah who wasn’t aware enough to slide in. It was a good start in front of a far bigger crowd than expected on a stormy and rainy night in Swansea.
The superb Ethan Galbraith was the focus even with him being at right back. This was a side of the pitch that Portsmouth were trying to double up on the Swans danger men. As we approached eight minutes both teams had settled with Josh Murphy getting past the Swans defence for Chaplin to shoot into the ground and Vigouroux in the Swans goal saving well. It was an early warning especially as that move led from Galbraith standing on the ball and losing possession.
Idah had a through ball played to him which was just too much for him to reach, but when the keeper had the ball at his feet he really could have made more effort. Captain Ben Cabango was booked after some pantomime stuff from a Pompey player ‘in the wings’. The resultant free kick was cleared by Cabango. The Swans though had switched from their upbeat tempo to that annoying strolling about stuff that never wins matches.
Galbraith burst forwards on fourteen minutes but his effort was only to worry the small travelling Portsmouth support behind the goal. Then a superb move involving a Galbraith cross with Ronald attempting to score with a diving header then Idah inches short thereafter in reaching the ball for a sure fire goal. We needed to see more from Idah, that little bit of extra effort would repay him. Twice after that opening he was strolling back as Franco was charging down the keeper.
With twenty gone the Swans were possibly the better side and looking the more dangerous.
Portsmouth were trying to play football but their passing seemed hurried and that eventually was tested when Ronald received the ball in space on the right but as he often does his pass into the box was poor. Pompey pressed as well, it wasn’t a one way street tonight. Eom was working ever so well with Tymon and their exposure to the ball was getting more and more dangerous for the visitors. The Swans first corner came on thirty minutes, Eom took it and Cameron Burgess just couldn't keep his header down. Eom’s weakness is his strength on the ball and he was under pressure on thirty minutes losing possession which Pompey seized upon leading to a corner which Vigouroux safely collected.
John Swift in midfield seemed to be the teams main complainer this evening. Glaring at the referee often. His diving tactics twice earning him free kicks. Another Pompey corner on thirty three minutes. It was cleared but the visitors were seizing upon poor Swansea play. The Swans had to be more competitive and far quicker in their thought process. At last the official saw something to give to the home side after a foul on Ronald. That set piece easily cleared though. The Swans were definitely back in a more leisurely mode.
Then at last some good work by Idah winning the ball giving it to Melker Widell who shot inside the box but keeper Nicolas Schmid saved well. Bowart took a hit to the face in that move, well by all accounts, it looked like he was feigning injury as it was he who lost the ball in the first place. We had three minutes to go until half time. It has to be said on this first forty five minutes the Swans didn’t look that impressive and if it wasn’t for the excellent efforts of Franco and Galbraith the ball would have been in the possession of Portsmouth far more often. Those mistakes the Swans were making before Matos arrived were creeping in, little effort noted at set pieces, even a throw proving too hard to take. Things had to be changed.
Portsmouth saw off the two minutes of injury time as they stayed down after weak tackles. Then Franco received a yellow card for playing the ball after a Galbraith foul. A dive in the penalty area by Lang who tried to cheat the referee was laughable. The player injuring himself in the process. These displays of injury and cheating are always proof that an opponent like this did not consider themselves able to win the game fairly.
However, that half will be quickly forgotten.
No changes as we started the second half, but as ever these days subs will be made. Tymon was badly tackled early on but strangely no yellow card shown. Then Eom was clearly fouled but it was ignored and then that man Swift shoulder barged Galbraith right in front of the referee but it was again ignored. A blatant obstruction. These displays of similar tactics to Oxford on the weekend were signs that they would be in a relegation battle all season. Portsmouth pantomime season was in Act 2 now with feigning injuries at last being noted by the referee. The game now had completely slowed down. Moves were not coming off for the Swans, noticeably on the left. The keeper again wasn’t getting the attention of Idah as Ronald sprinted past him and closed him down. On fifty two minutes the same player weakly shot when put in on goal.
It wasn’t his evening, but then he was showing little effort.
As expected Vitor Matos wasn’t happy with what he was seeing and readied Liam Cullen and Zân Vipotnik. The Swans were now completely off their game. There needed to be more threat and definitely more energy. Murphy had a pot shot on fifty five minutes that just crept by Vigouroux’s post. We then saw Melker Widell off replaced by Liam Cullen and Idah as expected off for Vipotnik. However, Portsmouth had the better of the play without creating too much and at this point as we moved to half an hour to go they would be extremely happy. Then another foul on Galbraith was ignored as Portsmouth broke away leaving Vigouroux to palm away a fierce shot. Two corners then followed. The second in front of the east stand. At last Murphy was penalised for fouling and the Swans had time to reset.
Swift brought down Galbraith as he burst forwards thereafter. Portsmouth are as bad a team as Oxford and were blatantly being allowed to get away with their tactics. However, this was a free kick. Eom took it. That pretty much ended as everything had this evening. Wasted opportunities. It seemed the Swans didn’t have an answer to this Portsmouth defensive tactic. Every ball cleared and no effort or awareness of what to do. Time ticked on. The keepers seeing more of the ball as it bounced from one side of the pitch to the other. Then at last an opportunity, Eom weaved himself a position to shoot and his effort had to be tipped over the bar. The corner ? Same old story it was cleared.
On sixty six minutes Ronald was pushed in the face by Jordan Williams earning a free kick on the Swans right. Again Eom took it. Eom put the ball down, slid it to Galbraith but his shot was diverted for another corner. Eom took it, the clearance reached Tymon’s who crossed. Ronald took the ball down but blazed it wide after a deflection. Now the Swans were awake, another lovely move instigated by Eom saw Ronald flick the ball on for Vipotnik but his shot hit the side netting. It was time now for two more Swans subs with twenty one minutes to go. Portsmouth made three. Zeidane Inoussa and Malick Yalcouyé came on for Franco and Eom. That substitution taking ninety precious seconds.
This was the first sight of Malick since his red card against Queens Park Rangers.
Those subs came on sixty nine minutes and we got going again on seventy two minutes. This though was the same as we have seen all season, slow build up and little in the end. Inoussa did get a shot in on seventy three minutes but it was easily saved. Galbraith was brought down in the area but nothing was given, the result a first yellow card for an angry Vitor Matos. A Portsmouth corner on seventy six minutes again in front of the east stand was partially cleared and a scuffed shot went out for a goal kick.
The next attack involved Yalcouye with a clever pass to Cullen, Inoussa left it for Cullen who shot high into the Pompey net. It was a superb strike and Cullen’s second goal of the season. One goal was going to win this game and this excellent strike deserved it. Murphy thereafter got angry and was lucky to get away with a card after throwing the Swans goalscorer to the ground. Pompey now though hadn’t given up as we went into the last eight minutes. The Swans play was getting slower. Strangely enough this annoyed the Portsmouth players after a game of theatrics and the same tactic.
On eighty seven minutes Yalcouyé and Vipotnik got invovled in a nice move that saw a shot well saved by Schmid. The corner was headed well over by Vipotnik. Portsmouth were still looking for that equaliser. On ninety we saw Galbraith off for Kaelan Casey with defence now the tactic. We had six minutes of added time to go. Now Portsmouth were running to get the game moving. Portsmouth now had the ball, Murphy crossed but it went nowhere. The break from that saw Inoussa felled by Marlon Pack, a shocking foul with the Swede going clear. It was panic stations as time up loomed when another cross went deep from Pompey but the move ended with the ball over the bar.
It was one of those games that many will doubt the Swans would have won a month ago. They did fight hard but as on Saturday the away side were still pressing and making chances into added time. The way this was won won’t matter come May, it was three more points as the Swans head to the Potteries on Saturday for an away game at Stoke City (12:30pm)
Att :18,163
Away 411
⚽️ Swans: Lawrence Vigouroux 7 Ethan Galbraith 9 (Kaelan Casey 90), Ben Cabango 6 (c), Cameron Burgess 6 Josh Tymon 6 Marko Stamenic 6 Goncalo Franco 7 (Malick Yalcouye 72) 7 Melker Widell 6 (Liam Cullen 56) 7 Ronald 7 Jisung Eom 8 (Zeidane Inoussa 72) 6 Adam Idah 5 (Zan Vipotnik 56) 6
Unused Substitutes: Andy Fisher, Josh Key, Jay Fulton, Ishe Samuels-Smith.
⚽️ Pompey: Nicolas Schmid, Marlon Pack (captain), John Swift, Hayden Matthews, Ibane Bowat, Zak Swanson (Jordan Williams 50), Josh Murphy, Terry Devlin, Conor Chaplin (Adrian Segecic 70), Yang Min-Hyeok (Harvey Blair 70), Callum Lang (Colby Bishop 71).
Unused Substitutes: Josef Bursik, Luke Le Roux, Mark Kosznovszky, Makenzie Kirk, Ashton Sizer.
⚽️ Referee: Tom Reeves : What this bloke saw during the game is anyone’s guess. 1/10. He got the one for not disallowing Liam Cullen’s goal.
⚽️ Vitor post match