Guidolin hails "most important" win
19th March
Francesco Guidolin praised his side's attitude and character as the Swans secured their "most important" victory of the season against Aston Villa.
The Swans boosted their bid for Barclays Premier League survival thanks to Federico Fernandez's second-half goal - his first for the Swans - in a 1-0 win over the Villans.
In a game of few chances, the Argentina international's effort proved the difference, when he bundled home from Gylfi Sigurdsson's free-kick.
The three points takes Guidolin's side up to 15th in the top flight - 11 points above third-bottom Sunderland, who have two games in hand - and the Italian head coach highlighted his side's treatment of the match as key to their victory.
"We didn't play well, but we played with the attitude of a final," said Guidolin. "The performance was not very good, I know, but this is a match I was waiting for because I know the situation.
"The players played a nervous game, but what I liked this evening was the attitude. Often a final isn't a good game, but it's important to win.
"I asked them to play with focus, concentration and solidarity. We played nervously and Aston Villa played freely.
"But we got the goal and won the game, which is the important thing now.
"For the future, I hope to see my team play with this character and attitude, but free of nerves. We must play like every game is a final between now and the end of the season.
"This is the first victory for me at home, and I am very happy. It is maybe the most important victory of our season."
Meanwhile, Aston Villa boss Remi Garde was left frustrated after his side suffered defeat at the Liberty Stadium.
"It's very hard to take because they had only one shot on goal and they scored," said Garde. "I think we controlled the game in the first half, but we didn't score a goal in our good periods.
"I thought we played quite well in the middle of the pitch, but not so good in the two boxes."
