Swansea City’s improved second-half performance was not enough to prevent a narrow 1-0 defeat against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns.
Jayson Molumby’s goal in first-half stoppage time ultimately decided the contest, with the hosts dominating the opening period. Swansea goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux was called into action on multiple occasions, making three crucial saves to keep the Swans in the game.
However, the second half saw a dramatic shift in momentum as Swansea took control and created several clear-cut chances. Žan Vipotnik, Gonçalo Franco, and Jisung Eom all came close to finding an equaliser, but they were unable to convert. Eom also had a strong penalty appeal turned down after going down under pressure from West Brom keeper Alex Palmer.
Head coach Luke Williams was disappointed with his side’s sluggish first-half showing, but there were positives to take from their spirited response after the break. The Swans put the pressure on an unbeaten Baggies side, who made the play-offs last season, but just fell short of a result.
Williams made one change from the side that drew with Cardiff City, with Vipotnik replacing the injured Liam Cullen. New signings Myles Peart-Harris and Jon McLaughlin were named among the substitutes.
Due to the international break, the Swans next fixture is on 14 September, when Norwich City are the visitors to the Swansea.com stadium.
Team Lineups
West Bromwich Albion: Alex Palmer, Darnell Furlong, Kyle Bartley (captain), Sami Ajayi, Jayson Molumby (Uros Racic 66), Josh Maja (Lewis Dobbin 74), John Swift, Torbjorn Heggem (Gianluca Frabotta 82), Karlan Grant (Callum Styles 82), Alex Mowatt, Tom Fellows (Jed Wallace 74).
Unused Substitutes: Joe Wildsmith, Ousmane Diakite, Paddy McNair, Devante Cole.
Swansea City: Lawrence Vigouroux; Josh Key, Ben Cabango, Harry Darling, Josh Tymon; Matt Grimes (captain), Gonçalo Franco, Ollie Cooper; Jisung Eom (Myles Peart-Harris 63), Žan Vipotnik (Florian Bianchini 62), Ronald.
Unused Substitutes: Jon McLaughlin, Kristian Pedersen, Jay Fulton, Joe Allen, Kyle Naughton, Nelson Abbey, Azeem Abdulai.
Referee: Anthony Backhouse
Attendance: 24,975 including 1,787 Travelling Jacks.
Match Highlights
Watch highlights of the Swans defeat at the Hawthorns in the EFL Championship.
Feature Image Credit: Swansea City Football Club