What a way to safeguard your permanency with a win but with a series of oddities before this match, the Saints had to endure. One with a denial of staying in Swansea Marriott Hotel due to suppose virus, and their lodging had to be outside the city.
The other was the denial of entry to Liberty Stadium by this venue stewards before the home team.
This was a sort of sign or intimidation from all of these Swans followers towards the visiting Saints looking forward to earn their salvation in a match dubbed as the relegation Derby or playoff.
For both squads, it was now or never to net a positive result, by fighting for their survival and stay to see the light of another campaign in the big circuit of Premiership, both knew that a draw would it been disastrous.
Still for both managers sending their best initial elevens and playing in what meant like an all-around final as this match had all of the elements for these titans, the table was set and the match was under way with a scoreless halftime.
Carlos Carvalho the Swans manager sending a conservative with a little defensive and offensive 3-5-2 formation with both Ayew’s in Jordan and Andre in the attack, for the visitors Mark Hughes a 3-4-2-1 with a more defensive minded and a lone striker in Charlie Austin.
The match was under way, as the tension felt in the field cut been easily cut with a knife as both squads looking forward the first score and the game complete dominance, we had a contested affair between these two squads.
After a scoreless first half and the Saints edging in shoots at goal over their hosts, the second half was to be a hotly debated and contested affair after a first half filled with fouls aplenty by both squads and each one of its players getting yellow cards.
Still both squads put on a show of shoots towards each other’s posts and with a close call when Ayew was sandwiched between two Southampton defenders still the game official did not considered it a penalty in favor of the locals despite the protest of the Portuguese.
Until that fatidic 72 minute when Manolo Gabbiadini put the shot at close range and going through the legs of Swans defender to score the game winner to the demise and shock of the whole of Liberty Stadium stoic and not believing what they were seeing.
Give the Swans credit for looking forward to salvage at least a tie and after many tries these could not deliver and losing a crucial match that the only way these could save themselves of relegation is by beating Stoke City and Huddersfield losing both games.
For MARK Hughes seeing his Saints deliver and looking forward to an extension but tier last match of the campaign will be against the league champions Manchester City sending this race for relegation into overtime and the Swans and Terriers looking forward to a miracle.
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