Planet Swans ArchivesREPORT – Wales Online
TONY PULIS’ decision to rest his top stars in Europe in midweek proved justified as his Stoke team powered their way past a toothless Swansea.
The Stoke boss had been under pressure after a run of four straight defeats at home, but after making 11 changes from the side who crashed out of the Europa League in Valencia on Thursday night, normal service was resumed at the Britannia.
A set-piece double, with goals from Matthew Upson and Peter Crouch, gave Stoke their first points at home in 2012 and inflicted yet more away-day pain on the Swans.
It meant back-to-back defeats in the Premier League for the first time for Swansea as they slipped to 14th place, although Rodgers’ side are still nine points clear of the relegation places.
If Swansea’s 2-0 win over Stoke in October had suggested Brendan Rodgers’ side had the answer to Pulis’ long-ball tactics, this reverse shows there is more work to be done if the Swans are to cure their defensive troubles on the road.
Swansea may have won two out of three away in 2012 before yesterday’s visit to the Britannia, but their paltry haul of just nine points is now the worst record in the Premier League.
Where they get their points from won’t matter if they can avoid relegation, but Rodgers won’t be happy with yet another away defeat, their eighth this season.
Their cause certainly wasn’t helped by the loss of goalkeeper Michel Vorm, who was ruled out hours before kick-off with a virus picked up overnight.
It meant Swansea were left without a goalkeeper on the bench but Rodgers, who had been struggling with an illness all week himself, was however able to recall “catalyst” Joe Allen, who returned following a hamstring strain.
Swansea had a fantastic chance to take the lead inside two minutes but let Stoke off the hook with some woeful finishing.
Angel Rangel played Nathan Dyer into space with a lovely ball in behind Mark Wilson but when Dyer crossed for Scott Sinclair the winger blasted the ball over the bar from directly in front of goal.
Sinclair’s chance sparked a frantic five minutes in which both sets of players were charging into tackles to get the early advantage.
Former England striker Crouch went close with a header from a Matthew Etherington corner on nine minutes before Upson nodded wide from another set-piece straight afterwards.
Swansea were seeing plenty of the ball and, with Sinclair and Dyer looking to have the better of Wilson and Andy Wilkinson on the flanks, the initial signs were promising.
Gylfi Sigurdsson carved the Stoke back-four wide open on 19 minutes but Sinclair took too long to play in Danny Graham and Ryan Shotton was able to recover his position and get the ball clear.
In a battle between one of the biggest sides in the Premier League and one of the smallest, it was no surprise when Stoke got the game’s opener from a set-piece.
With stand-in goalkeeper Gerhard Tremmel looking uncomfortable under the long ball and Stoke’s big men causing problems, Swansea were looking vulnerable.
Another Etherington corner from the right on 24 minutes was met by a powerful header from Upson to give Stoke their first goal, after he brushed off the attention of Rangel all too easily.
Moments later, Upson was the hero down the other end when he brought Neil Taylor’s 50-yard run to an abrupt halt with a perfectly-timed tackle in the box.
Rodgers’ side showed plenty of appetite to bring themselves back into the game and Sigurdsson went close with a trademark free-kick on the half-hour.
Swansea felt they should have had a penalty shortly after when the ball appeared to strike Crouch’s hand in the box but referee Howard Webb waved away Graham’s appeal.
Five minutes before half-time Stoke doubled their lead and it was another set-piece that caused all sorts of problems for Swansea.
Shotton provided the ammunition with a throw-in this time, and when the 5ft 9in Taylor was left marking 6ft 7in Crouch, the giant striker glanced a downward header past Tremmel.
Swansea would have felt justifiably aggrieved to go into the half-time break two-down because, as so often on the road, they had played the majority of the good football in the opening 45 minutes.
But just like at Blackburn and Wolves earlier in the campaign, they are finding out that playing the best football does not guarantee results in the Premier League.
After four straight top-flight defeats before this game, Stoke were eager to put the game beyond Swansea as soon as possible.
Instead of sitting back and protecting their lead they pushed men forward and harried the Swansea defenders in packs of twos and threes when they had the ball.
Shotton’s long throws were still causing all sorts of problems and Walters headed one over on 54 minutes when he should have done better.
With Stoke pressing high up the pitch and Swansea counter-attacking well, it looked like only a matter of time before either side got the game’s all-important third goal.
Sinclair and Dyer came off with 20 minutes to go to ironic cheers of ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ from the home support.
The Stoke fans were almost celebrating a third a minute later, but once again Walters directed a free header wide at the back post.
Swansea were denied a penalty when Webb missed Dean Whitehead’s pull on Sigurdsson in the closing moments, and in injury time it was the crossbar that came to Stoke’s rescue.
Steven Caulker’s header was brilliantly tipped onto the bar by Asmir Begovic and the chance was cleared.
It was a familiar tale for Swansea away from the Liberty, plenty of the ball, lots of decent exchanges but in the end they were outdone by two of the simplest of goals.
At nine points clear of the drop there is no need to start being worried just yet.
But with league leaders Manchester City to come at home in two weeks’ time, a win at Wigan on Saturday would certainly settle a few Swansea nerves.
