Swansea City 0-0 Wigan

Michael Vorn was the Swans hero as his penalty save ensured that the Swans recorded their first points and clean sheet of the season in a 0-0 draw at the Liberty Stadium this afternoon.

Rodgers made two changes to the line-up that faced Man City with Wayne Routledge replacing Stephen Dobbie in central midfield, whilst Neil Taylor completed his suspension and replaced Alan Tate at left back.

It was the home side that nearly took the lead within two minutes as a Wayne Routledge shot bounced of Wigan keeper Al-Habsi but Graham perhaps may have done better with the rebound as he couldn’t find the telling touch to put the ball in the back of the net. This spurred the Swans on as good chances fell to Sinclair at the edge of the box and Danny Graham saw a glancing header squirm wide from an excellent cross from Agustein on the right flank.

The Swans did not look like they were playing in their first premier league home match as they looked the far better side throughout the first half looking composed and comfortable in possession. Scott Sinclair played a clever ball through to Routledge but his cut back was blocked for a corner. From the resulting set play, the Swans appealed for a penalty but Phil Dowd adjudged the ball struck the chest of the Wigan defender. Leon Britton was the next man to try and test the Wigan defence but his shot was high and wide over the bar. In response, Wigan could only manage a shot wide from Victor Moses and a Jordi Gomez shot comfortably saved by Michael Vorn.

Half Time – Swansea 0-0 Wigan

The second half saw the Swans resume their passing game and Scott Sinclair saw an early free kick hit the wall and a shot go out for a throw in. It was the Swans who looked the more threatening within the first 15 minutes of the second half and nearly took the lead as a game of pinball between Rangel, Routledge, Graham and the Wigan defence in the penalty area but the ball would not go into the net.

As the half progressed, Wigan began to pose a greater attacking threat. The Latics nearly took the lead when against the run of play, returning Swan Jordi Gomez struck the post from a well struck shot and only minutes later, Victor Moses saw his shot strike the bar. From the rebound, Phil Dowd believed Ashley Williams had fouled Gomez and pointed to the penalty spot. Ben Watson picked the same spot as he did last week against Norwich but Vorn had clearly done his homework as he dived to his right to save brilliantly.

Roared on by the Jackarmy, the Swans went in search for the winner. Wayne Routledge was inches away from making it 1-0 when his shot crept wide. Substitue Joe Allen played a magnificent cross field ball to the excellent Nathan Dyer but he saw his shot saved easily by Al-Habsi. Swans’ second substitute Stephen Dobbie’s long shot 2 minutes later produced almost an identical save from the Wigan goalkeeper. Both teams were looking to win the game late on and it was Wigan who had the last chance when Figueroa flicked the ball across the box from a corner but no-one could get a telling touch.

As the final whistle went, both teams had to settle for a point. Both teams will feel that they have reason to win all 3 with the Swans dominating the first half and much of the second but Wigan will feel they should have won after hitting the woodwork twice and having a penalty save.

This article was written by Matthew Wallace