Job done
Swansea last night overcame a feisty Malmo FF side who seemed a lot more intent on scoring a goal than they were in SA1 last week. Given the nature of the game it seems redundant overanalysing it too much, however there were numerous good points which are worth mentioning.
Firstly, Chico Flores returned from injury and was, I thought, outstanding. Aerially he's excellent - his clearing headers are always cushioned in the direction of a teammate - while he was awesome in the tackle all night. Easily my MOTM, and I think we're all glad to see the Spaniard back in action.
Another player who made a return to competitive action was Neil Taylor, who also impressed throughout. Time and time again he got forward to good effect, and was at times our most advanced player. In defence too, he was excellent, making a number of strong challenges and showing that he wasn't afraid of putting his foot in where it hurts.
Early on the Swans showed they weren't there just to sit and defend - they were definitely the aggressors and Jose Canas showed some good vision when he played a lovely ball through for Wayne Routledge, who'd timed his run to perfection. Sadly, the winger couldn't get his shot on target and his effort drifted just wide of the far post.
People are already expecting big things from Wilfried Bony, and he persevered on what would ultimately prove to be a frustrating night for the £12million man. He definitely showed what he's capable of - firstly he brought down a long ball with the deftest of touches whilst under pressure from multiple defenders, before laying the ball back to a teammate - it really was classy - while secondly he had a goal wrongly disallowed for offside. He'd timed his run perfectly, and his finish found the back of the net (via the inside of the post) but was wrongly ruled out - never a good feeling for a striker but I'm sure he'll get plenty more chances like that.
Another forward player, Michu, also had a frustrating night. He almost managed to find the back of the net at one point after beating the keeper to a through ball, but he was pushed wide and he couldn't find a way to get the ball into the net. By the time of his substitution, however, he'd started to receive a bit of abuse from the home crowd after a series of rash challenges. It was a good thing he was taken off when he was, that's all I'll say.
Another player who almost had the ball in the back of the net was Jonathan De Guzman. The Dutch midfielder was on the receiving end of a clever looped pass from Alejandro Pozuelo and got to the ball, like Michu, ahead of the Malmo keeper Johan Dhalin. This time there should have been a definite penalty - the goalkeeper clipped the Swansea player and sent him into a belated stumble which stopped him tapping the ball into the empty net as two defenders closed in. Apparently the ref had the whistle in his mouth, but decided it wasn't a pen. Such is life.
I thought that the game changed last night when Malmo captain Jiloan Hamad left the field. I think this was the moment Malmo realised the game was well and truly lost, and to be honest I'm struggling to recall much of note from after that point (around the hour mark). Games such as this one always have the possibility of ending up in a 0-0 draw - such are the needs of both teams involved in the matchup, but that's not to say it wasn't a good exercise for either side. The Swans have now enjoyed two very competitive games against a confident European side, which will no doubt stand us in good stead when Manchester United come to town next weekend, while Malmo have had a sterner test than they were likely to have enjoyed thus far this season.
Onwards and upwards now, and we've only got to wait until midday today to find out who are opponents for the playoff round are. Stay tuned, as I'll be posting a blog looking at whoever our next opponents are!