Planet Swans ArchivesThe Swans are beaten by a better team as Everton triumph at the Liberty Stadium
Report – Telegraph.co.uk
The chant from Everton’s travelling fans – that their team is going to win the league – may have been unrealistic, but they swept Swansea aside with a swagger that suggests that they may be ready to mount a serious challenge for a place among English football’s top four.
Goals from Victor Anichebe, Kevin Mirallas and the inimitable Marouane Fellaini gave them an emphatic victory and they might have scored several more.
“The result and performance matched each other,” said David Moyes, their manager. “I thought we played really well from start to finish. We should have scored more with the amount of ball we had and the chances we created and we were wasteful in the final third at times.
“We have not heard that song too often at Everton,” he added. “If we had won in midweek as we should have done, we could have been mixing it with the big boys. That’s where we want to be at the end of the season.”
Of course, Swansea will be quick to highlight that on top of injury and illness, they not only finished this contest with 10 men, following the 57th-minute dismissal of substitute Nathan Dyer, but are still coming to terms with the loss of players such as Scott Sinclair, Joe Allen and last season’s outstanding loanee, Steven Caulker. That said, on this occasion, they would be foolish to look for excuses. Everton not only dominated possession and looked by far the more polished of the two sides, but could have won by a cricket score had it not been for some woeful finishing. Anichebe, who gave Alan Tate and Ashley Williams a torrid afternoon, missed two from close range, as did Fellaini.
Swansea had hardly seen the ball by the time Everton took the lead. A 21st-minute free-kick from Leighton Baines picked out Fellaini at the far post and although there was a suspicion of handball, the Belgian midfielder set up Anichebe, who scored from five yards.
With Swansea giving full debuts to Pablo Hernández and Ki Sung-yueng, there was a disjointed look about a side who had begun the season with seven points from three games. Defeat at Aston Villa eight days ago had checked their initial progress and when Mirallas latched onto Pienaar’s pass, two minutes from half-time, any chance of a win here disappeared.
Fellaini’s header eight minutes from time left Swansea manager Michael Laudrup with plenty to ponder ahead of their trip to Stoke on Saturday.
“I have to say Everton deserved the win, they were better than us,” said Laudrup. On top of that we were disappointing in the first 30 minutes and we gave away far too many free-kicks. I think the first 30 minutes laid the groundwork for the defeat.
“We can learn from this. We were 2-0 down and had a good reaction. I thought that their goalkeeper was man of the match. He made six or seven outstanding saves.”
As far as the Dyer dismissal was concerned, Laudrup said: “The second yellow was a little unlucky, Nathan went to kick the ball, he missed it and in the same movement kicked his opponent. However, it is a yellow card and you can’t say anything about it.”
Moyes was delighted with the contribution of Anichebe in the absence of Nikica Jelavic. “He did OK in midweek and did not get the credit he deserved for his goal. He does not possess a lot of self-confidence but if he gets that, he is a real handful for defenders.”
Match details
Swansea (4-5-1): Vorm; Rangel, Williams, Tate (Britton 54), Davies; Hernández (Dyer 45), De Guzman, Ki, Michu, Routledge; Graham. Subs: Tremmel, Monk, Moore, Tiendalli.
Booked: Williams, Ki, Dyer, Rangel, Michu.
Sent off: Dyer.
Everton (4-5-1): Howard; Neville, Jagielka, Heitinga, Baines; Osman, Coleman, Fellaini (Oviedo 85), Pienaar (Gueye 85); Mirallas (Naismith 70); Anichebe.
Subs: Mucha, Distin, Vellios, Duffy.
Booked: Osman.
Referee: A Taylor (Cheshire).
