Swansea City suffered their first Championship defeat in four games as a Josh Tymon own goal saw them narrowly beaten 1-0 by Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.
Tymon inadvertently turned a Harrison Burrows cross into his own net just before halftime, in what proved to be the game’s decisive moment. The Swans had otherwise competed well against the unbeaten hosts, who were relegated from the Premier League last season and are aiming for a quick return.
Swansea had periods of control in the first half, managing to quiet the home crowd and creating a great chance for Myles Peart-Harris, but were unable to capitalize on several promising moments.
In the second half, Sheffield United upped the pressure, hitting the woodwork twice and forcing goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux into several crucial saves. However, Swansea pushed for an equalizer late on, but couldn’t find a breakthrough.
Head coach Luke Williams, while frustrated with the result, will likely take encouragement from his team’s resilience and the bravery they showed in a challenging atmosphere. With this being the second game in six days, following the 1-1 draw with Bristol City on Sunday, Williams made changes to the starting line-up, handing Peart-Harris his first start for Swansea, while Josh Key and Jay Fulton also came into the side, with Žan Vipotnik, Kyle Naughton, and Gonçalo Franco on the bench.
The Swans will look to return to winning ways on Saturday, when Stoke City are the visitors to the Swansea.com stadium.
Team Lineups
Swansea City: Lawrence Vigouroux, Josh Key, Ben Cabango, Harry Darling, Josh Tymon (Kyle Naughton 77); Matt Grimes (captain), Jay Fulton (Joe Allen 72), Ollie Cooper (Žan Vipotnik 64); Ronald (Florian Bianchini 64), Myles Peart-Harris, Jisung Eom (Azeem Abdulai 72).
Unused Substitutes: Jon McLaughlin, Gonçalo Franco, Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Nelson Abbey.
Sheffield United: Michael Cooper, Harry Souttar, Gus Hamer (Rhian Brewster 72), Callum O’Hare (Rhys Norrington-Davies 84), Harrison Burrows, Anel Ahmedhodzic, Jamie Shackleton (Alfie Gilchrist 58), Vini Souza (captain), Tyrese Campbell (Kieffer Moore 58), Andre Brooks (Jesurun Rak-sakyi 58), Sydie Peck.
Unused Substitutes: Adam Davies, Sam McCallum, Femi Seriki, Billy Blacker.
Referee: Leigh Doughty
Attendance: 25,112
Post-Match Reaction
Here is the post-match interview with Luke Williams:
Match Highlights
Watch extended highlights of the Swans defeat at Bramall Lane.
Feature Image Credit: Sheffield United Football Club