Swansea City 0 - 1 Manchester United - Match Report

Swansea's unbeaten home run came to an end on Saturday at the hands of reigning Premier League champions Manchester United in a 1-0 defeat at a sold out Liberty Stadium. The only goal of the game, scored by Javier Hernandez was the result of a misplaced pass by Swansea right back Angel Rangel deep in the Swansea half. The loss of possession allowed Ryan Giggs to square the ball to Hernandez with an open goal at his mercy. The mistake by the Swans was very uncharacteristic, after establishing their talents of keeping the ball and effectively passing teams to death even at Premier League level. Whether it was the occasion of the first big team to come to South Wales or merely United's awareness of their style of play, the unforced error by Rangel was the biggest turning point of the game. Swansea however did start the game brightly. With their confidence in defence within the fortress of the Liberty Stadium, they weren't afraid to attack United from the go. As with most Swansea attacks, their first chance originated from the wing with only four minutes on the clock. This time it was Nathan Dyer who used his trickery to outsmart Patrice Evra and deliver a well executed cross to Danny Graham in the United 18 yard box. The Champions rapidly closed down Swansea's number 10 to hinder his shot, but the ball made it's way to Mark Gower who couldn't direct his effort on goal. After United's goal in the 11th minute it appeared that the Champions were happy to soak up any pressure that Swansea were putting their way as they sought their fifth consecutive clean sheet in all competitions. The rallying cries of the Liberty faithful spurred on the home team after going a goal behind and on the 22nd minute they were offered a golden opportunity to level the score. A recycled ball from an attempt on goal found it's way to Wayne Routledge, playing in attacking midfield position in place of Joe Allen after he failed a late fitness test, who delivered a pin point cross to the normally ever reliant Scott Sinclair. The ball managed to land a little too awkwardly for the winger and failed to make any connection to convert the chance into an unguarded net. The first half failed to generate any other notable chances for either side but Manchester United demonstrated that they could successfully beat Swansea at their own game. The Reds played with fluidity and ease, rarely misplacing passes and capitalising on any loose balls very effectively. It was possible that the same realisation came to Swansea manger Brendan Rodgers' before the second half kicked off, as he decided to introduce Welsh international Joe Allen to the game for his interim replacement, Routledge. Allen is often seen as a catalyst for the Swansea midfield with his fledgling career blooming at the highest level and it was the Welshman who made an immediate impact in the second half. Allen played a clever ball to set up Sinclair from a tight angle in the 49th minute and the accurately fired effort forced David de Gea into his first real piece of action in the game. The resulting corner was wasted and allowed United to break with the sheer pace at their disposal. It was almost a clear cut chance for Hernandez to double his tally to put the game out of reach for the home team, but his first touch from a long through ball was far from perfect, allowing the ball to roll out for a goal kick. Again Swansea continued their furore on goal this time from a more successful corner. Mark Gower dispatched a swinging cross into the pack with Garry Monk climbing to head the ball toward goal. Despite the ball heading toward de Gea's general direction, Nemanja Vidic ensured the chance was counteracted with a fabulous defensive clearence in the 6-yard box. As with the second half, United still seemed comfortable soaking up large portions of pressure whilst not really exerting the same amount of pressure on their opponents. Swansea's attacks were much more frequent and they refused to give up with what was their final opportunity of the game in the 73rd minute. Scott Sinclair's marauding run on the left wing saw him square up against Wayne Rooney but Sinclair outdid the United star for pace to cut the ball back for Danny Graham. As with all of Graham's attempts in the game his chance was blocked by the Manchester United back line, the ball then found it's way to Ashley Williams who saw his strike also closed down and prevented. To see Rooney as far back as this and Swansea's centre back, Williams, as far forward was evidence enough of the home teams offensive pressure. However it was in the final ten minutes when United's relaxed demeanour to the game turned into a more attacking assault to take advantage of a more worn-out Swansea team. Another break on the counter attack saw Wayne Rooney almost get on the end of a Javier Hernandez square ball but it was just a little too strong for the England international to connect with. Finally, on the last minute of regulation time, it was Phil Jones who struck the post with a low, cross goal shot that would've been goal bound if it wasn't for a fingertip touch from Michel Vorm who was at full stretch to protect his goal. Swansea's valiant efforts to take a point from the game were hindered from another superb defensive performances from the reigning Champions. Since their 6-1 drubbing from local rivals, City, Sir Alex seems to be putting a lot of emphasis into their defence as opposed to the fluid attacking performances we remember from the start of the season. After the win United remain in 2nd place, five points behind Manchester City, and Swansea drop down to 13th after victories for West Brom and QPR catapult them into the top half.