Report | Stoke City 1 Swansea City 2
Swansea City won their opening Championship fixture for the first time in six years and secured just a third win at Stoke City this century thanks to goals from Joseph Opoku and Adam Idah.
Vitor Matos side had fallen behind in the Potteries to Eric Bocat’s improvised finish, but dominated possession and looked to have the measure of their hosts for much of the contest.
They got a first-half equaliser when Opoku volleyed home at the end of a well-worked move, and then went on to claim the three points as Idah swept home a left-footed strike less than 20 seconds after coming on as a substitute.
It was no less than the Swans deserved, there were a number of bright performances and signs of growing understanding between new combinations, while Jay Fulton and Marko Stamenic were outstanding in the middle of the park.
The Swans had handed a debut to summer signing Stephen Welsh in place of injury victim Cameron Burgess, while Zan Vipotnik led the line up front and Fulton came into midfield at the expense of Adam Idah and Melker Widell.
As had been the case in the Carabao Cup clash, the Swans made an assured start and showed some neat interplay in the middle of the park.
But it was Stoke who took the lead with their first attack of any note. The Potters worked their way neatly down the left, and although Tomas Rigo made a hash of the initial chance, the ball was recycled for Bocat to turn and fire a rising effort into the net of the underside of the crossbar.
Sorba Thomas got in behind the Swans defence a few minutes later, but his attempted lob of the advancing Lawrence Vigouroux was off target.
But the Swans settled again and produced a lovely flowing attack, with Fulton at the heart of it, to equalise.
The Scot sent Moussa Yeo into space, and from his cross the ball ran for Opoku to send a deflected volley beyond Viktor Johansson and into the net.
Good hold up work from Vipotnik then allowed Opoku to run at Bocat, but his final return lay-off was just behind the arriving Slovenian.
Stamenic then nodded a Josh Tymon corner straight into Johansson’s gloves as the half ended all-square.
Elijah Just had a shot blocked early in the second half after some tremendous pressing work from Filip Lissah, before Vipotnik’s cutback was gratefully gathered in by Johansson after Fulton had sent Just racing into space.
The visitors then produced a sweeping attack that saw Yeo tap the ball down into Stamenic’s path and he headed towards goal, but Ethan Galbraith covered well to snuff out the danger.
Stoke responded, Sam Gallagher being denied a free header by a superb defensive header by Welsh, before Vigouroux made a brilliant save to deny Thomas ferocious drive from the edge of the area.
Thomas was becoming a real thorn in Swansea’s side, and he burst forward again only to overhit his final pass for Gallagher.
However, it was the Swans who struck next, with Fulton once again key in the attack. His first time pass gave Tymon the room to pick a cross, and he found substitute Idah for the Irishman to finish with his first touch.
Idah nearly further extended the advantage when he hooked a falling ball into the side-netting after Jisung Eom had chipped in an inviting cross from the left.
Johansson tipped away an Eom effort after the Korean arrived to meet Stamenic's floated cross at the back post.
Vigouroux denied Bocat a second goal of the game inside an increasingly frantic final 10 minutes as the Swans began the season in ideal fashion.
Swansea City: Lawrence Vigouroux; Filip Lissah (Josh Key 55), Ben Cabango (captain), Stephen Welsh, Josh Tymon; Jay Fulton (Leo Walta 84), Marko Stamenic, Elijah Jus (Melker Widell 65); Joseph Opoku, Moussa Yeo (Jisung Eom 65), Zan Vipotnik (Adam Idah 65).
Unused Substitutes: Andy Fisher, Tiago Parente, Ronald, Carter Heywood.
Stoke City: Viktor Johansson (captain), Luke Graham, Svante Ingelsson (Djibril Soumare 70), Sorba Thomas, Ethan Galbraith, Ben Wilmot, Eric Bocat, Bosun Lawal (Maxi Talovierov 46), Tomas Rigo (Bae Junho 70), Sam Gallagher (Robert Bozenik 70), Million Manhoef.
Unused Substitutes: Josh Griffiths, Ben Pearson, Ben Gibson, Freddie Anderson, Tyler Martin.
Referee: Oliver Langford
Attendance: 24,332 (2,765 away)