Despite the talk and the build up the Swans didn’t have the finishing power in the second half to earn a point from this game. In fact it was t until the last two minutes that chances on target were made. Until then it was pretty much huff and puff. Yes Yalcouyé was sent off and on reflection regardless of contact or not with the impressive acting skills of Steve Cook he had to go. That was on thirty four minutes and to be honest before that the Swans play wasn’t any different to the next thirty five of playing time.

The final fifteen minutes was much better, but only one shot and header on target tells the tale.

The Swans started with a number of positional changes with Ethan Galbraith reverting to his old role at Leyton Orient at right back and Josh Key reduced to a seat on the bench. Also on duty from the off was Malick Yalcouyé and Eom. The first ten minutes was all about finding their feet but the Swans were displaying some of their old traits, Adam Idah getting the nod ahead of Vipotnik was finding holding the ball up difficult - and Cameron Burgess almost let the visitors in with a goal when he placed a pass to Vigouroux in goal which almost intercepted. That’s the third time this season we have seen Burgess (when in that same position) do that in the Swans area on the left.

A header over the bar by QPR was followed up by a run by Eom. Nothing from both of those moves but on fifteen minutes Vigouroux pulled off a superb save diving to his left to push a fierce shot out for corner. The R’s were employing a long throw which wasn’t paying off. The warning signs were there though and on seventeen minutes the Swans defence were found sleeping as a touch and assist by Hayden found an unmarked Burrell who had the easy chance of glancing the ball into the Swans net. If Franco had tracked back initially that move could have been halted. He didn’t and the Swans were one down.

In fact the whole defence was sleeping. (below)

What was noticeable in midfield was a complete lack of ball retention by the home side which saw numerous moves break down. The Swans earned a corner on their left on twenty one minutes. Eom took it, it was defended and corner number two followed. Both set pieces were defended and the ball was back with Vigouroux. Despite good possession the Swans were struggling again in the final third. They couldn’t control the game and the majority of the time, the ball.

On twenty four minutes Eom who was looking the brightest player on the pitch for Swansea linked with Tymon who put in two great crosses but no Swans head could reach the ball. The issue as we approached the half hour for the Swans was again retaining the ball and most certainly very poor choices when passing. On twenty six minutes a penalty shout for the Swans was ignored by referee John Busby despite contact into the back of Eom. The other issue for the Swans was their slow play which was enabling the R’s to comfortably arrange their defence due to the prescriptive and slow play they were facing.

Despite the driving rain and wet conditions there was nothing on show that was any different to previous games this season at home. Crosses were being defended by the R’s, close spaces always ended up with the ball at a QPR players feet, and the crowd were getting frustrated. The Swans were on seventy percent possession on thirty three minutes. And simply nothing to show for it.

Then a penalty was turned down by the referee again, Yalcouyé was seen to be brought down but it was dismissed. Play continued when an off the ball situation developed. Yalcouyé was confronted by Steve Cook for diving, he pushed Malick, Malick pushed him back, then with the player still in his face he gestured his head towards Cook who went down like a tree falling. The big six foot plus defender floored by the player with the smallest stature on the pitch. Cook played it well, it’s called play acting, he was booked and Malick Yalcouyé saw red. The Swans were now in real problematic territory.

The game reached new lows when Adam Idah put his hand on the opposition goalkeeper, he ridiculously threw himself to the ground and that was another yellow card. We needed to see more of Zeidane Inoussa and as the game wore on less poor passing from the Swans. With a man down it was inconceivable to think the players were not aware that their poor decision making could lead to a second goal. It became apparent that this referee was ruining the game when Eom put in a lovely challenge just on the edge of the Swans penalty area and was deemed to have fouled his opponent. It was a shocking decision by the referee Busby. The free kick went high and wide accompanied by loud cheers from the home crowd.

The referee didn’t play the full four minutes additional time and his whistle was greeted with loud boo’s. Alan Sheehan had a lot of work to do in the dressing room. He still didn’t have a player who would run at the opposition at pace or be brave enough to put the QPR defence under pressure. This wasn’t good irrespective of the Swans being down to ten men. Before the sending off they were pretty poor. After it really was no different.

Sensibly Josh Key and Ronald came on for Inoussa and Franco for the second half, but as the minutes ticked by the Swans looked toothless. However, on fifty three minutes Adam Idah’s hard work earned the Swans a corner on their right. Tymon took it, Stamenic met the ball heading over the bar. The visitors seemed to be able to pick their way through this Swansea side. Every touch the Swans made was wrong and even when Ronald burst through and fed Idah it was poor and fizzled out. A lovely cross by Tymon was parried on fifty seven minutes but the ball fell kindly for the R’s. No Swans player within yards of the ball.

QPR still looked comfortable, when they lost the ball it fell kindly for them when the Swans did the same it wasn't a similar story. There was no player in white able to correct the damage. Now the Swans were pressing but the ball was always back on the halfway line. Key crossed it was blocked then moments later the same scenario for Tymon. The passing in key areas was shocking. Idah controlled cooly on sixty two minutes, passed to Ronald, and yes, his shot was poor and was easily cleared. With Galbraith in midfield now he seemed very reluctant to press forwards and was not seeing crucial passes forwards that would have placed his side in a comfortable attacking position.

Again Galbraith found space on sixty four minutes, he found Ronald who shot and again his effort was blocked. Composure was not his friend tonight. On sixty five Eom put in a dangerous cross but it was defended out for a corner. Eom took it, and to say it was bad is an understatement. Good work by Tymon earned the Swans another corner on sixty seven minutes. Tymon would take this one. It didn’t work out. We were heading for seventy minutes. The Swans were working hard but absolutely nothing was coming from their efforts.

Indecision on the Swansea bench saw first Zân Vipotnik seemingly ready to come on then Liam Cullen. Then nothing at all. Eventually it was Cullen’s turn replacing the South Korean, Eom on seventy two minutes. What could he and the hard working Idah conjure up ?

On seventy four minutes more clever play ending up with a QPR player being found. It was sub Chair whose shot went out for a corner. The set piece was headed down but saved easily by Vigouroux. We had fifteen minutes to play. On seventy eight minutes an offside looking Chair was put through but his shot was superbly saved by Vigouroux. The Swans were now mere spectators as Chair again had another pot shot. Melker Widell and Vipotnik then came on for Stamenic and Idah. It was the last throw of the dice as the R’s hit the post. It looked like Vigouroux had saved it and the rebound was wasted. That was an opportunity to put the game to bed.

The ball was at the wrong end of the pitch as QPR pressed, again and again the Swans gave the ball away. We now had seven minutes to go. By all accounts the home side had five shots by this point, none on target. Then a corner on eighty five minutes when yet another Ronald shot was blocked. Tymon took,it from the Swans right, it was cleared but the pressure remained. Like everything tonight it fell to the away side. Melker Widell was hauled down on eighty six minutes. It was in a dangerous position just to the right of the QPR keeper. The outcome was awful as Cullen worried the first few rows in the south stand. It was the story of the night overall.

Then the best chance of the night for Swansea, once again Vipotnik was just short on an easy opportunity to score. As we have seen so many times he was a split second late. That was the chance, that was the opportunity. As we went into added time Tymon put in a wonderful cross which Vipotnik met and his header was saved well. Then Widell had a pot shot the second attempt on target in a minute. It was saved.

Chair bought one for the team pulling down Josh Key as we entered the final seconds. A big cross in from that free kick saw the ball defended and Melker Widell watched it carefully meeting it on the full and his shot went just past the post. When the whistle brought the game to a close the inquisition begins, that’s always the case. The Swans just aren’t ticking, their desire to score tonight was evident but they didn’t. It wasn’t a must win it just had to be a good performance, that game nearly earned a point out of desperation with intermittent fight and determination. But in the last few minutes the Swans had four good opportunities to score, two for Vipotnik, one for Widell and Ronald. It didn’t work, it never looked like working and the Swans fall further down the Championship table to sixteenth.

⚽️ Swans: Lawrence Vigouroux 8 Ben Cabango (C) 6 Marko Stamenic 7 (Melker Widell 83) 7 Malick Yalcouye 5 Jisung Eom 7 (Liam Cullen 73) 5 Josh Tymon 8 Cameron Burgess 5 Goncalo Franco 5 (Josh Key 46) 5 Zeidane Inoussa 4 (Ronald 46) 5 Ethan Galbraith 7 Adam Idah 7 (Zan Vipotnik 83) 5

Unused Substitutes: Andy Fisher, Jay Fulton, Ishe Samuels-Smith, Kaelan Casey.

⚽️ QPR: Paul Nardi, Jimmy Dunne (C) Steve Cook, Sam Field, Paul Smyth (Karamoko Dembele 60), Koki Saito, Isaac Hayden (Jonathan Varane 71), Rumarn Burrell (Ilias Chair 71), Richard Kone (Michael Frey 88), Nicolas Madsen, Amadou Mbengue.

Unused Substitutes: Ben Hamer, Liam Morrison, Rhys Norrington-Davies, Harvey Vale, Kieran Morgan.

Referee: John Busby : 2/10 : Shocking officiating blokes an idiot.

Attendance: 14,254
Away 384

Photographs CJ Media & open source

Swansea City Polls