Report | Bristol City 3 Swansea City 0

Swansea City fell to defeat at Ashton Gate on their return from international break in the Championship.

The Bristol captain headed home the opener within minutes of the whistle from an Anis Mehmeti corner before Riis doubled the lead with a thunderous volley in the 31st minute. 

Substitute Hirakawa all but sealed the win with a solo finish with less than ten minutes to go. 

Interim coach Darren O'Dea made six changes from the side that fell to defeat against Ipswich Town last time out. 

Jisung Eom, Liam Cullen, Kaelan Casey, Ishe Samuels-Smith, Stamenic and Adam Idah came into the squad in place of Ben Cabango, Josh Tymon - who both faced suspensions - Melker Widell, Zeidane Inoussa, Goncalo Franco and Zan Vipotnik respectively.

Ricardo Santos made his first appearance for the club, replacing Samuels-Smith in the 68th minute.

There were chances for Idah, Cullen and Galbraith in both halves, but it wasn't enough in front of a sold-out away end.

The hosts had the first chance in the opening two minutes. Marko Stamenic couldn't quite bring down a Josh Key pass. Mehmeti capitalised on the loose ball to send a low effort just wide.

Mehmeti again had a goalbound palmed away by Lawrence Vigouroux for a corner. But the Robins would open the scoring from the set piece.

He was the one to take the resulting corner, and his curving ball found the Robins skipper at the near post who headed it into the roof of the net. 

The Swans had shown a glimpse of getting back in the game when Liam Cullen forced Radek Vitek into a diving save from Ethan Galbraith's sliding challenge outside of the box. 

A nice one-two between Ronald and Key down the right allowed the latter to loft the ball to Adam Idah in front of goal, the Ireland international shot it straight at Vitek, but it was offside anyway.

Vitek would deny the Swans again, a powerful effort on an angle from Idah forced the Robins stopper into a crucial save.

Cameron Burgess then produced a heroic showing with a goal line clearance after a mistake at the back had Riis looking to shoot into an open goal.

It created a period of madness, which eventually led to a second goal for Bristol City. Mehmeti's ball across the back post is volleyed powerfully into the back of the net by Riis. 

Just seconds before the half-time whistle, Key is denied by Bristol duo Ross McCrorie and and Vitek from close range. A big let-off for the hosts. 

A lively start from the Swans in the second period. There were chances for Burgess and Cullen from inside the six-yard box whilst Galbraith fashioned a powerful strike wide.

Despite trailing by two goals, Swansea were having the better of the proceedings in the hosts' half. Eom was denied a chance inside the area as Zak Vyner blocked the south Korean's effort, and Galbraith tried his luck once again from distance only for it to go wide.

There were penalty shouts for Bristol beyond the hour mark as Borges was brought down in the box, but Josh Smith waved any appeals away. 

It should have been three for the Robins, and a fantastic save from Vigouroux was the saving grace for Swansea as he turned a Sinclair Armstrong effort past the post for a corner kick.

And it got worse for Swansea with less than 10 minutes remaining. Substitute Hirakawa played in behind by in-form Mehmeti, drove forward alone and dispatched the ball into the bottom left corner to all but seal the three points. 

Swansea City: Lawrence Vigouroux, Josh Key (Jay Fulton 77), Marko Stamenic (Goncalo Franco 65), Jisung Eom (Zeidane Inoussa 65), Cameron Burgess (captain), Ishe Samuels-Smith (Ricardo Santos 68), Liam Cullen (Zan Vipotnik 65), Kaelan Casey, Ethan Galbraith, Adam Idah, Ronald.

Substitutes: Andy Fisher, Melker Widell, Malick Yalcouye, Manuel Benson.

Bristol City: Radek Vitek, Ross McCrorie (Mark Sykes 58), Adam Randell, Scott Twine (Yu Hirakawa 71), Anis Mehmeti, Zak Vyner, Rob Dickie (captain), Emil Riis (Jason Knight 58), George Tanner, Neto Borges (Haydon Roberts 72), Sinclair Armstrong (Fally Mayulu 84)

Substitutes: Max O'Leary, Cameron Pring, Elijah Morrison, Olly Thomas.

Referee: Josh Smith