04/03/2017 15:00 v Burnley

16th June

Swansea City chalked up a memorable last-gasp victory over Burnley to take a step closer to Premier League survival.

The Swans had seemed set for a day of frustration despite fighting back from 2-1 down to make it 2-2 21 minutes from the end.

But Clement’s side claimed the win they deserved when Fernando Llorente scored a towering header in the second minute of stoppage time.

The Swans took charge of an entertaining game early on thanks to Llorente’s 10th goal of the season.

But a penalty decision which infuriated the hosts – the spot-kick was awarded after Burnley’s Sam Vokes had handled – allowed Andre Gray to equalise on 20 minutes.

The Clarets then took the lead against the run of play just after the hour mark when Gray finished well.

But the Swans responded admirably to that setback, with Martin Olsson levelling the scores with an emphatic finish eight minutes later.

Clement’s side then pushed hard for the winner their overall control merited, and the breakthrough finally came in added time.

The result leaves the Swans on 27 points from 27 Premier League games.

Clement had made clear in the build-up that in his eyes, this game marked the start of a crucial run of fixtures.

And right from the outset, his players looked determined to put Burnley on the back foot.

The Swans were very nearly ahead inside 11 minutes, when Gylfi Sigurdsson’s free-kick was met by Alfie Mawson.

To the relief of Paul Robinson, who was in goal for Burnley in the absence of the ill Tom Heaton, Mawson’s header cannoned off the bar.

And Robinson was smiling again when, after a scramble, Mawson struck another shot goalwards only for the ball to come back off the post.

A minute later, the former England keeper would finally be beaten.

Kyle Naughton sent Leroy Fer galloping down the right flank, and the Dutchman shrugged off Jeff Hendrick before whipping a fabulous cross into the box.

This was just the sort of delivery Llorente loves, and the Spaniard duly powered a header inside Robinson’s left-hand post.

The Swans would not lead for long, however, as Burnley equalised thanks to a penalty decision which left the home side stunned.

Burnley had responded well to the goal, with Hendrick and Andre Gray both forcing saves from Lukasz Fabianski.

The spot-kick came from a Robbie Brady corner, which Clarets striker Sam Vokes handled in the six-yard box.

But rather than giving the Swans a free-kick, referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot.

And after prolonged home protests came to nothing, Gray drilled home the penalty to level the scores.

The Swans had to dig deep, and they almost responded when Martin Olsson’s cross-shot was beaten away by Robinson.

Olsson was soon pushing forward again, this time unleashing a right-foot effort which Robinson gathered.

Then Sigurdsson had the Liberty on its feet as he took aim from 20 yards, but his shot rolled inches wide of the target.

There was bad fortune for the Swans just before the break, when Olsson's cross was met Llorente but his looping header came back off the bar.

The Swans began the second half as they had finished the first, on the front foot.

Fer was having a big game in midfield, and his driving run teed up a chance for Sigurdsson.

The Icelander’s measured shot beat Robinson, but Ben Mee covered well to deny the Swans the lead.

Next Tom Carroll whipped in a cross from the left flank for Llorente, but the striker’s header skipped agonisingly across the face of goal and away to safety.

Clement’s side came again, with Carroll overlapping Olsson down the left and centring for Sigurdsson, whose half-volley bounced a yard wide of the target.

For all the Swans’ control, it was Burnley who grabbed the game’s third goal on 61 minutes.

A long ball forward from Matt Lowton was nodded down by Vokes, and Gray finished expertly on the turn from 16 yards.

Back came the Swans, with a fabulous Olsson run ending disappointingly as Fer sliced wide from 20 yards.

The Swedish left-back had been arguably the game’s best performer, and that was before he delivered an emphatic equaliser eight minutes after Burnley had gone ahead.

Carroll fed Sigurdsson on the edge of the box, and his brilliant flick sent Olsson scampering in behind the visitors’ defence.

And just as he had done against Leicester last time out at home, Olsson smashed the ball into the net.

The Swans were having plenty of joy down the left, and another Carroll centre saw Llorente reaching for a header which sailed over the top.

Then a Sigurdsson flick caused problems for Burnley, with the all-action Olsson smashing a volley over the top.

The Swans came perilously close to a winner in the 90th minute, when Carroll's shot was kicked off the line.

It seemed at that stage that all hope of a win was lost, but Carroll dug out a fabulous 92nd-minute cross which Llorente nodded home at the far post.

 

SWANS: Lukasz Fabianski, Kyle Naughton (Angel Rangel 89), Federico Fernandez, Alfie Mawson, Martin Olsson, Jack Cork (capt), Tom Carroll (Jordi Amat 90 +5), Leroy Fer, Luciano Narsingh (Jordan Ayew 73), Gylfi Sigurdsson, Fernando Llorente.
SUBS: Kristoffer Nordfeldt, Leon Britton, Wayne Routledge, Borja.

BURNLEY: Paul Robinson, Ben Mee (capt), Matthew Lowton, Michael Keane, Andre Gray, Sam Vokes (James Tarkowski 80), Robbie Brady (Scott Arfield 66), Jeff Hendrick, Joey Barton (Ashley Westwood 80), George Boyd, Stephen Ward.
SUBS: Nick Pope, Jon Flanagan, Tendayi Darikwa, Dan Agyei.