Wigan Bersant Celina Steve Cooper

Steve Cooper buoyed by potent attacking showing

21st January
First team

Steve Cooper hopes the composure and clinical edge Swansea City showed for their goals against Wigan can be a regular feature of their play over the remainder of the campaign.

Both Swansea goals against the Latics were well-crafted and superbly finished by Rhian Brewster and Andre Ayew as Cooper’s men climbed back into the play-off places.

Brewster’s equaliser involved lovely link work with Bersant Celina and Conor Gallagher, before the on-loan Liverpool forward smashed the ball into the bottom corner with a left-footed effort.

The winner saw Celina benefit from a quick switch of play after a poor Wigan clearance, beating his man and rolling a ball across the six-yard box for Ayew to coolly backheel in his 12th goal of the season.

Head coach Cooper was understandably delighted with the way in which his side created and finished those chances, and he wants to see more of the game moving forward.

“Both goals were how we want to play, getting in between the lines, playing wide and creating proper chances,” he said.

George Byers and Andre Ayew

“They were not hopeful crosses, snapshots or things like that.

“We want to score proper goals, and the build up to the first goal was excellent. We received it between the lines, the run in behind, the slide-rule pass and the finish.

“That was fantastic, and for the second goal Bersant was brilliant off a switch in play, we had the numbers in the box and you need that bit of composure and ruthlessness to put it in the net.

“At times we would have liked to see more of that from the boys.

“I liked us in a lot of ways against Wigan, we should be pleased but motivated to keep improving.”