Potter sees positives in Villa defeat

26th December
First team

Graham Potter felt there were plenty of positives for Swansea City to take from their performance against Aston Villa, despite suffering a 1-0 defeat at the Liberty Stadium.

Conor Hourihane’s second-half header was enough to give the Villans all three points in the Boxing Day clash.

Swansea had a chance to equalise late on when they were awarded a penalty, only for Wilfried Bony to see his spot-kick saved by Orjan Nyland in the Villa goal.

It meant the hosts emerged with nothing from a display where they had matched Dean Smith’s men, who have been on a strong run of recent form.

But manager Potter felt there was more than enough for his side to take forward in defeat.

“We are disappointed with the result, we put a lot into the game I thought,” said the Swans boss.

“We started the game well, in fact the whole performance in the first half was really positive.

“There was great courage from the players, a good understanding of what we were trying to do.

“We were playing a good team with good players, and it was not until the back end of the first-half that they had some sustained pressure on us.

“Second half we started off okay, and then maybe there were a few unforced errors from ourselves.

“They had a few opportunities from set-pieces and the pressure builds a bit, we probably did not deal with that as well as we should.

“There were a couple of mistakes in the midfield area and they get their chance and they score.

“It was difficult for a bit after that but we responded well, and I would say it was an even game.

“There are a lot of positives to take from the performance but we are disappointed because we have come away with nothing.”

The 43-year-old also admitted that he felt for his players and the Jack Army following an encounter played in an excellent atmosphere in SA1.

“We did well, the boys tried their best and left everything out on the field,” added Potter.

“So I feel for the players and I feel for the supporters, because there was a great atmosphere in the ground.”