Rob Davies
Olivier Ntcham and Michael Obafemi have both come under considerable criticism this season but yesterday they showed fans what they can do as they inspired a comeback win at the Hawthorns against Steve Bruce’s West Brom.
In a thrilling game for the neutral at least, Swansea opened the scoring after a strong start which saw Matty Sorinola chest the ball in from a corner with home goalkeeper David Button in no man’s land. Yes a goal direct from a corner kick!
The Swans failed to capitalise on their good start and allowed the Baggies back into the game through goals from Jake Livermore and Grady Diangana but Ntcham responded soon after with an equaliser to send the 1,700 travelling fans into raptures.
It looked all in vain as Armstrong Oko-Flex was penalised for a soft penalty but Steven Benda was the hero as his legs blocked the strike before Ntcham set up the late winner for Obafemi in front of the away crowd. Away days don’t usually get better than that.
Russell Martin made just the one change with Joe Allen not fit enough to return to action after being taken off against Hull so Luke Cundle started in a two alongside Oli Cooper behind Joel Piroe.
The team otherwise remained the same from that Hull win with Obafemi again amongst the substitutes after his heroics for his country against Armenia in midweek.
Swans (3-4-2-1)
Benda
Wood – Naughton – Cabango
Sorinola – Fulton – Grimes – Manning
Cundle – Cooper
Piroe
It was a fast start by the visitors, firstly Button denying Sorinola from six yards out on the half volley and the following corner paid dividends in the 6th minute.
Ryan Manning whipped the ball in and with everyone expecting Button in the home goal to catch the corner it flew past him and to Sorinola who was left with the easiest of tasks to chest home to continue his recent improval.
It is his first goal for the club and typifies the improvement we’ve seen in recent games from the right back who is on loan from Union SG in Belgium.
The Swans were sharp and compact in possession and looked like the team in the ascendency but there – as always – were a few scares when possession was given away in dangerous areas.
The goal kick routine is not as kamikaze as the one we saw at the start of the campaign and Benda is certainly happy to launch it long when necessary but we do give up chances that aren’t necessary.
Sometimes we have too many men pushing forward in attack when we’re already a goal up and that allowed Diangana to run towards goal from a long ball over the top with only two men back. Fortunately Benda saved as he cut in from the left.
We were starting to allow the troubled home side back into things and a couple of corners saw headers that were ultimately not strong enough to beat Benda but the crisp passing and sharp play at the start of the game had somewhat disappeared.
No other real chances for either team although the home side disappeared for their half time break to a chorus of boos at the Hawthorns. I’m not sure even the half-time pies would have cheered Steve Bruce up.
But he would have been heartened by the response of his players early in the second half. Again capitalising on some sloppy play at the back which firstly saw Albion earn a corner.
It wasn’t dealt with in the first phase and allowed them to take possession deep inside the area before Grant shuffled it to Jake Livermore whose clean strike from just inside the box made it 1-1 through a crowd of bodies.
The home side sensed an opportunity especially with Naughton struggling with a shoulder injury yet mystifyingly remaining on the pitch. It was his loose touch that was pounced upon by Jed Wallace to set up Diangana.
He picked it up from Naughton on the Baggies’ right before he slid a pass along the deck to Diangana on the left; he took a touch and slammed it low, left footed past the despairing Benda. The strike went through the legs of Wood.
But, the Swans would not give up and with Ntcham and Obafemi entering the field of play midway through the second half, they fought to equalise and did.
Ntcham dinked the ball into the box and then received it as it was cleared back out. He shrugged off a weak challenge from Diangana to stride towards goal and hit a crisp left footed strike into the bottom corner in front of the away fans. Cue delirium.
Further drama came when Martin’s men fell asleep at the back allowing a West Brom attack which eventually came to Grant inside the box who fell under the lightest of contacts from fellow sub Oko-Flex. The referee pointed to the spot and suddenly it looked like another one of those days.
But in Benda, the Swans have found a strong, capable goalkeeper that gives not just his team-mates but the fans’ considerable confidence and he denied Grant’s spot-kick to keep it at 2-2.
And in the dying moments of the ninety minutes, Ntcham was played in down the left by Manning and reminiscent of his assist for Joel Piroe against WBA earlier this year, found Obafemi who turned and slammed a right footed shot past Button for 3-2.
The scenes in the away end were fantastic and ultimately delivered back to back wins and a rise in the table to 10th position.
It wasn’t pretty at times but this win felt vital to our hopes for the rest of the season. We have a heavy schedule leading up to the international break for the World Cup and if we are around the play-offs leading into that then it would represent a very good start to the campaign.
Still work to do, but encouragement for all.
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