Swansea 3-0 West Brom: Swans Finally Get The Monkeys Off Their Back

Swansea City finally scored a Premier League goal and got their first win of the season Saturday after a convincing 3-0 home victory against West Bromwich Albion.

Before the match kicked off, the best possible news came through. As I wrote last week, it was important for Swansea to stop pinning their hopes on Danny Graham, so when it was announced that striker Danny Graham was suffering an injury, Swansea’s hopes of securing a win were immediately improved.

In came Leroy Lita to start up front for Swansea. The former Reading and Middlesbrough striker made a significant impression in the game when he scored Swansea’s second goal with a well-taken header, and then assisted for the third goal after knocking the ball into Nathan Dyer’s path for the final goal of the match.

Having played so well in each of their games this season, it was a massive weight off my shoulders to see Swansea pick up all three points. The side outplayed West Bromwich Albion. But despite that, the Baggies still had their chances to score, and full credit should go to Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm for making several critical saves.

While Lita had a great game for Swansea — and deserves to be starting up front for Swansea even when Graham returns to full fitness — the player I was most impressed with Saturday was Scott Sinclair. The left winger has had a poor start to the season by his standards, so it was a joy to see him score his first goal this season from a penalty, as well as have an outstanding game overall. The penalty kick was a result of Sinclair’s tricky run down the left and his pass that put Joe Allen through into the box before he was taken down.

The two other footballers who impressed me were the aforementioned Joe Allen who had one of his best performances in a Swansea shirt, and Neil Taylor who had an outstanding game as left back. Unfortunately near the end of the game, Taylor was violently knocked to the pitch by the advancing Peter Odemwingie. Taylor, who Newcastle United tried to buy this summer, was treated by medics and given oxygen. With blood pouring down his forehead, it was welcome news to hear later that the injury wasn’t as bad as first suspected. But injury aside, Taylor showed why he’s one of the rising stars in the Swansea and Wales sides.

Now that Swansea have got the previous three points in the bag, they can now look ahead to the next match with a little less pressure. The Swans travel to Stamford Bridge next Saturday to take on Chelsea. It’ll be a return home for Swansea manager Brendan Rogers who was the reserve coach at Chelsea. It’ll also be a good opportunity to see how Swansea has matured against a top side after their loss earlier in the season against Manchester City.

Lastly, one more point to add, and that is what a difference a win makes. Swansea can now brag that they have an undefeated home record in the Premier League and have let in no goals at home. With a win under their belt, that’s something they can be incredibly proud of. But having said that, there’s still a very long way to go in this season.