Monk focussing on positives

Garry Monk felt there were positives to take from his 10-man side's 1-0 defeat to Chelsea at the Liberty.

After Chico Flores was sent off for two bookable offences, early on in the first period, a second-half strike by Demba Ba secured all three points for the high-flying visitors.

The Swans started the game brightly, but received a major blow in the 15th minute when Chico received a second booking in the space of two minutes for a foul on Andre Schurrle.

Despite the setback, Monk's side continued to battle valiantly, frustrating the visitors, taking them into the midway point at 0-0.

But in the 69th minute, Swansea's resilience was finally broken when Ba hit a fierce strike underneath the arm of Michel Vorm.

The defeat means Swansea remain in 15th position in the Barclays Premier League, just three points clear of the relegation zone.

But Monk believes if his side can replicate this afternoon's performance in the final four games of the season, the Swans can secure top-flight safety.

"We're not in a good position," admitted the Swans head coach. "It's not a situation we want to be in, but the difference is that we're not chasing anything. It's in our own hands. 

"However, we have to do something quickly and get points on the board. We are all aware of that."

"We can take many positives from today, but we have to make sure we show nothing less than that in the last four games.

"Even in a difficult situation, we were still in the game until the last minute.

"We've showed that desire, application and attitude to not be beaten on a few occasions but come away with nothing.

"But if we show exactly what we did there in the last four games, we will have no problems.

"We could have dealt with their goal a lot better, which is the only real disappointment for me, apart from the sending off.

"We had the chance to lock them in, but we just switched off. It was a poor goal to concede from our point of view."

Meanwhile, Chelsea assistant first-team coach Steve Holland feels the Blues' 1-0 win was a great victory on the back of their European exploits on Tuesday.

"Coming here has always been a difficult fixture for us," said Holland. "They're a team that keep the ball very well, so they can frustrate you.

"But on the back of a draining Champions League fixture midweek, it's a fantastic three points for us."