Swans ease to victory in first leg of Europa League Playoff Round
Considering the televisual warmup to this match included Dinamo Tbilisi being humbled 5-0 at their patch by Spurs, Swansea fans could have been forgiven for thinking their team would play out a slightly less goal-laden affair. Not so. The Swans showed from the first minute they were intent on putting pressure on the visitors, and from the opening exchanges it was fairly clear there was likely to be one winner on the night.
Wayne Routledge and Pablo Hernandez looked electric all night, and most of what Swansea did well ended up going through them. Appropriately, most of the goals involved the Swansea wingers, and we didn't have too long to wait as in the 13th minute Wayne Routledge sidefooted home (via a deflection) after Michu had cleverly dummied Pablo's cutback.
Next up, it was Routledge and Hernandez again involved in the buildup. Routledge got free on the left and floated a ball to the back post where the Spaniard was in acres of space. His shot cannoned back off the keeper, and Michu had the simple task of prodding home from a yard into the roof of the net.
They reversed roles again - this time in the 24th minute. Michu regained possession, which allowed Leon to play Pablo in down the right, and he picked out Routledge at the back post excellently, who dived in to head home. 3-0, and realistically game over. There was still time for Michu to play Routledge through for what would have been his hat-trick before the whistle was blown for half-time, however he smashed his shot when a placed effort may have been more wise and his shot clipped the top of the bar before going over.
At half time Petrolul made one substitute, but it was more of the same from the home side. They continued to retain possession and test for openings. Wilfried Bony was picked out well by that man Pablo again, took a neat touch around his marker into space, but his finish cracked off the underside of the bar. Almost a fantastic finish.
Routledge departed for Alejandro Pozuelo in the 60th minute, but not before having a hand in anther goal. Drifting in from the left, he delayed until Michu made a run into the left channel and fed the Spaniard coolly, before he in turn squared for Bony, whose finish rebounded off the goalkeeper and rolled over the line. 4-0, with an hour gone, and very much job done.
Jonathan De Guzman made a surprise return after suffering concussion on international duty, and was involved immediately. He wandered across the box, before slipping it to Michu, who again turned provider and played a cute pass to Pozuelo, who'd found space in the centre of a ravaged Petrolul defence. He advanced on the keeper and waited until he'd gone to ground before dinking the ball over him for 5-0, which meant the Swans had matched Spurs efforts of earlier in the night. Many had hoped for that before the game, but few would have predicted it given how little we know of our opponents.
Jordi Amat then replaced Ashley Williams, but there was still one incident of note. Late, late on a hopeful cross from the left into the Swansea box fell to Gheorghe Grazov, who produced an incredible overhead kick into the bottom corner of Vorm's net. The Swansea keeper didn't even move; it really was an outstanding goal.
Overall, a return to form for the Swans. Shelvey was excellent throughout and didn't attempt nearly as many Hollywood passes as we've quickly come to expect, and if he can operate like that more often he'll go on to be a fantastic player indeed, while all over the park the Swans carried out their roles almost to perfection. Leon, Ashley Williams, Chico, Neil Taylor and Angel Rangel all had stand out games, and given almost everyone I haven't mentioned there got on the scoresheet that should give you a fair idea about the calibre of the performance, even if some of the opposition defending left a lot to be desired.
Spurs next then - the battle of this year's Premier League representatives in the Europa League. Thankfully, it looks like we won't have to deal with Gareth Bale, but that is unlikely to seriously damage a team who've signed a host of world class players this summer. If we can stop Roberto Soldado scoring, that'll be half the battle.
Onwards and upwards then! Three away games in a row, too. Spurs, Petrolul, then West Brom. I'd settle for two wins out of three, I'll be honest...