Report | Lincoln City 1 Swansea City 2

Swansea City went top of the Championship as quickfire goals from Moussa Yeo and Stephen Eustaquio saw them come from behind to beat Lincoln City at the ProAmpac Stadium.

The home side had led at the break through Reeco Hackett’s penalty, which came late in a first half where they had caused the Swans plenty of discomfort.

But the visitors flew out of the traps at the start of the second period, with Yeo turning in a close range cross two minutes after the restart to level.

Eustaquio then opened his Swansea account four minutes later as his deflected strike found the net.

The visitors had chances to extend that advantage, and also had to deal with periods of sustained pressure, but they came through it to claim the three points and climb to the summit of the early league table.

This was an example of head coach Vitor Matos’ mantra of the need for his team to find a way amidst the different challenges at hand in the second tier. They were not at their best here, but they showed the collective will and desire to beat stubborn, awkward opponents.

The hosts came flying out the blocks and Lawrence Vigouroux was forced into his first meaningful save when Conor McGrandless’ bobbling strike from a set-piece needing pushing around the post.

There were plenty of deliveries into the area for the Swans to deal with, although Elijah Just threatened to silence the home crowd when his ambitious effort from distance threatened to catch out George Wickens, with the Lincoln keeper eventually made the initial save and regathered the loose ball.

It was proving physical and scrappy, and there followed a chaotic period where Ben House ruffled the side-netting just as a pitch invader was being apprehended by stewards at the other end of the pitch.

Vigouroux set up to take his goal-kick but waited for the culprit to be led away, only for the referee to adjudge him to be time-wasting and give the hosts a corner, with the Swans keeper eventually saving a lobbed effort from McGrandless a few minutes later.

The hosts were proving to be awkward opponents, and they the crowd fed off the discomfort they were able to cause their visitors.

And they took the lead when Hackett fired home from the spot after Josh Tymon was adjudged to have brought down Freddie Draper in the area eight minutes before the break.

Swansea had their own penalty appeals waved away when Moussa Yeo’s strike appeared to be blocked by a Lincoln hand as they trailed at the interval, despite having a good spell of pressure in the spell between the goal and the half-time whistle.

The visitors knew a better second-half showing was required, and they could hardly have wished for a better start to the second period as patient build-up ended with Melker Widell driving a low cross into the area and Yeo turning home on the stretch.

In an instant the whole feeling of the contest changed, and the Swans were suddenly the team making all the running.

And they turned the game on its head when another slick attack ended with Just cutting in from the right to lay off to Eustaquio. The Canada international elected to take aim, and his shot took a deflection that left keeper Wickens stranded and put the Swans ahead.

Lincoln roused themselves after that quickfire strike, and it took a tremendous brave block from Marko Stamenic to get out and deny an opportunity after the Swans had given the ball away in their own third.

That sparked a spell of heavy Lincoln pressure, with a combination of long throws and crosses giving Swansea plenty to deal with but they managed to come through that period with their lead intact.

Widell threatened to extend that lead when he sent a curling strike wide of the far post, and Ronald forced a fine save from Wickens as the Swans enjoyed another victory on their travels.

Swansea City: Lawrence Vigouroux, Filip Lissah, Ben Cabango (captain), Stephen Welsh (Jenson Seelt 82), Josh Tymon; Marko Stamenic, Stephen Eustaquio (Goncalo Franco 77), Elijah Just (Joseph Opoku 60); Melker Widell, Moussa Yeo (Ronald 60), Adam Idah (Zan Vipotnik 60).

Unused Substitutes: Andy Fisher, Jay Fulton, Tom Iorpenda, Tiago Parente.

Lincoln City: George Wickens, Adam Reach (Chieo Ogbene 64), Andrei Coubis, Ryley Towler (Rob Street 77), Reeco Hackett, Tom Bayliss, Conor McGrandless, Sonny Bradley (captain), Ben House (Mikkel Ladefoged 64), Deji Elerewe, Freddie Draper.

Unused Substitutes: Joe Gauci, Dom Jefferies, Ivan Varfolomeev, Yunus Konak, Ethan Wheatley, Daniel Oyegoke.

Referee: Anthony Backhouse

Attendance: 10,559 (1,201 away)