Hull City and Swansea City met in their Premier League match at the KC Stadium on Saturday.
Steve Bruce's side were in dire need of a victory as they were on a nine-game run in the top flight without a win, while the Swans were looking to bounce back from two defeats on the spin.
Garry Monk's men prevailed to add to then Tigers's woes as Ki Sung-yueng deflected Jonjo Shelvey's strike past Allan McGregor to hand the visitors the three points, for just their second win on the road this season.
Read how all the action unfolded in our commentary below.
Good afternoon and welcome to the live commentary of the Premier League clash between Hull City and Swansea City.
Steve Bruce's side are in dire need of a victory this afternoon to ease the pressure on the 53-year-old as the Tigers are currently without a win in their last nine games, a run that stretches back to the beginning of October. Hull have slipped to 19th in the Premier League, and a defeat this afternoon will only increase the pressure on the manager going into the busy festive period.
The Swans could also do with the three points this afternoon following back-to-back defeats in the top flight to West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, which has seen them slip down the table into ninth place. The shine has been taken off their bright start to the season, but a victory for Garry Monk's men at the KC Stadium could see them propel themselves back up the standings in the busy festive period.
TEAM NEWS!
HULL STARTING XI: McGregor, Bruce, Chester, Davies, Meyler, Hernandez, Livermore, Jelavic, Ramirez, Robertson, Elmohamady
SUBS: Jakupovic, Rosenior, Brady, Maguire, Sagbo, Aluko, Quinn
SWANSEA STARTING XI:Fabianski, Richards, Fernandez, Williams, Taylor, Ki, Carroll, Shelvey, Dyer, Routledge, Gomis
SUBS: Tremmel, Bartley, Rangel, Fulton, Emnes, Barrow, Bony
Bruce has made three changes to his side for this afternoon's match at the KC Stadium from his team that lost 2-0 to Chelsea last week. Abel Hernandez, Alex Bruce and Gaston Ramirez come into the team to replace Michael Dawson, Tom Huddlestone and Sone Aluko.
The Swans have been forced into seven changes for the match due to injuries as Gylfi Sigurdsson, Leon Britton and Jefferson Montero have all been ruled out. Lukasz Fabianski returns from suspension in goal, while Bafetimbi Gomis leads the line in place of Wilfried Bony who drops to the bench. Jazz Richards and Federico Fernandez slot into the team in the back four in place of Angel Rangel and Kyle Bartley, while Tom Carroll also comes into the midfield.
Bruce has describes his side's match this afternoon as a "cup final" as the Tigers have to get back on track in their season ahead of further important games over the festive period.
"This one's a cup final if we really want to put it down to that," Bruce told reporters.
"It's a big game for us and a big opportunity. We've got to get a result, it's as simple as that. We've had an awful run of fixtures, with some awful injuries to go with it, but we have to forget about what's happened before and pick up a few points to get our season back up and running."
To emphasize how important the next run of games are for the Tigers as they play several of the teams in and around them at the foot of the table, including Bruce's former club Sunderland on Boxing Day, and the Leicester City on December 28. Weeks don't come much bigger than this for the Tigers.
Monk has insisted that his side are not a one-man team built around the success of Wilfried Bony. The Ivorian has scored four out of his side's last six goals, but the Swans boss is adamant that his players are more than capable of finding the net without the striker. That will be put to the test this afternoon in Bony's absence as Gomis leads the line.
"We're very much a collective here and it's not just about Wilfried scoring goals," Monk told Sky Sports News. "The way we've produced the chances for Wilfried to contribute shows that.
"Yes, that's not to say there's six or seven players producing goals freely but look at the league and there's no massive amount of variation apart from the top teams.
"We create chances for each other and we don't care who scores as long as the team wins and we are creating those chances and someone's there to put it in the back of the net."
STAT ATTACK! Good news for the Tigers this afternoon as they are unbeaten in their last four matches against Swansea, recording four victories and two draws. Bruce will be hopeful of maintaining that run of form this afternoon to pick up a much-needed three points.
STAT ATTACK! Swansea have never lost three games in a row under Monk's tenure since he replaced Michael Laudrup at the helm earlier this year. However, they have also lost the most amount of points from winning positions this season, with 16.
Looking ahead at Swansea's next run of games and there is a possibility that they could get themselves back into the mix for a European place. Their recent displays against West Ham and Tottenham will have disappointed Monk as they were in good positions to take something out of the game, and he will be desperate for them to end the year on a high note. With games against Aston Villa, Liverpool and Queens Park Rangers on the horizon there is no reason why the Swans can't join the cluster of teams in and around sixth spot in the table.
Now it is time to see what the boys at Sports Mole towers, who are in a very festive mood, think will happen this afternoon, in prediction time!
STAT ATTACK! Swansea have never beaten Hull in the Premier League. Their last victory over the Tigers came in 2008 in the League Cup, while their last league win was in League Two back in 2003. A stark reminder of how far these teams have come in recent years.
PREDICTION TIME! Time for my prediction this afternoon and I'm sorry to suggest more misery for Bruce, but that's exactly what I'm going to do. The Swans will have enough to edge this game, even without Bony in the starting lineup, as they will record their first top-flight victory over the Tigers in a 2-1 win.
The players are making their way out onto the pitch and we should be underway shortly.
KICKOFF! We're underway at the KC Stadium.
Composed start to the game from the visitors as they have wrestled controlled of possession away from the Tigers and are knocking the ball around in their own half to get into their passing rhythm.
CHANCE! Hull pressure the Swans on the edge of their own box and Williams hands the ball straight to Jelavic, who decides to shoot from the edge of the box with the outside of his right foot, and his strike goes harmlessly wide of the post.
Swansea raid right upfield in response to the chance from the home side and a long ball over the top finds Routledge in space, but his attempted shot with his right foot doesn't trouble McGregor as his strike smacks into the boards behind the net.
CHANCE! Hernandez makes a nuisance of himself in the box as the visitors can't clear a ball into the box. The loose ball falls to Ramirez on the edge of the area, but he puts his left-footed strike wide of the target. Chances for Hull in the opening stages here.
Shelvey raids forward with purpose and sees the run of Gomis pushing beyond the Hull defensive line, but the midfielder gets his through ball all wrong as he and striker aren't on the same page as his pass goes out for a goal kick.
Hull are dominating territory at the moment as they are encamped in the final third of the pitch, but are unable to produce that bit of quality needed to unlock the Swansea defence.
GOAL! Hull 0-1 Swansea (Ki)
Swansea take the lead as when your luck is out, it is out as Shelvey's strike takes a huge deflection off Ki and rolls past McGregor and into the net. Hull allowed Shelvey space and time to fire at goal, but the deflection was a huge slice of luck for the visitors and the Tigers's woes continue.
The strike from the visitors has knocked the home side right out of their rhythm as they are no longer pressing the ball in the final third of the pitch, and it has enabled Swansea to get into their passing game. The crowd aren't helping Bruce's men as they are getting antsy when Hull lose possession.
Hull look devoid of any confidence at the moment as they are tentatively knocking the ball around the midfield without any penetration as the crowd are urging them to get forward.
OFF THE BAR! Robertson rattles the bar for the home side with a left-footed strike from a tight angle as they come within inches of getting back on level terms. Hull knocked the ball forward where Hernandez did well to lay the ball into the path of the Scotland international, and he fired at goal with venom, but his shot cannoned off the woodwork and went over.
CHANCE! Hull push forward again as Livermore feeds the ball into the path of Hernandez on the edge of the area, and the striker turns Williams and fires at goal, but the keeper is able to make a comfortable save.
The Tigers raid into the final third again as Ramirez has all sorts of space to push into. The midfielder tries to release the run of Jelavic, but Williams comes across to win the ball with a great intervention to clear the ball into touch.
YELLOW CARD! Livermore goes into the book for the home side for a poor challenge on Shelvey, and as a result will miss their next match against Sunderland.
OFF THE POST! Swansea come within inches of doubling their lead as Hull fail to close down Shelvey for the second time in the game outside the box. He nearly makes the pay again with a low drive at goal, which beats the outstretched hand of McGregor, but his strike hits the post and rolls across the line before going out of play.
Swansea are controlling the game now and are really into their passing game as Hull are chasing shadows at the moment. This style of play suits Monk's team perfectly and they are looking to turn the screw on the home side.
The visitors spurn an excellent chance on the break as Fabianski claims the ball from a free kick and throws out to Dyer who has an abundance of space to run into with Routledge in support. However, the winger can't control the ball and Robertson comes across to clear it into touch.
YELLOW CARD! Jazz Richards goes into the book for the visitors as the defender pulls back Ramirez as he tried to push forward down the left wing.
Robertson shows a burst of pace to get into the box for the home side and he tries to play in Jelavic through the middle, but once again for the home side the final ball into the penalty area is poor and Swansea are able to clear their lines.
OFFSIDE! Meyler threads the ball through to the run of Jelavic, and the striker fires the ball past Fabianski, but the flag is up for offside. It wasn't even close for the home side as Jelavic was well beyond the last defender.
There will be two minutes of added time.
HALF-TIME: Hull 0-1 Swansea
Swansea lead at the break thanks to Ki's deflection off Shelvey's strike. It is true when you're at the bottom nothing goes your way and Steve Bruce will be feeling like that at the break. The deflection off the South Korean could have landed anywhere but it rolled in the back of McGregor's net. A huge break for the Swans and more misery for the Tigers, who have a lot of work to do to get back into the match.
Monk's side did show better quality in the final third and Shelvey was unlucky not to double his side's lead when he hit the post in the 30th minute, while the closest the home side went was when Robertson saw his powerful strike clip the bar. Bruce's side will need to improve their final ball to get back in the match as Jelavic and Hernandez have been feeding off scraps in the first 45 minute. Gomis hasn't been a factor for the Swans and they will be hoping to get him more involved in the match as it progresses.
UPDATE: Aston Villa 1-0 Manchester United, QPR 1-2 West Brom, Southampton 1-0 Everton, Tottenham 2-1 Burnley, West Ham 1-0 Leicester.
The players are back out for the second half, so we should be back underway shortly.
RESTART! We're back underway at the KC Stadium.
Straight from the restart Swansea raid forward in numbers as Shelvey gets right to the edge of the box, but just as he is about to pull the trigger Robertson gets his foot in to win the ball at the crucial moment. Dangerous from the visitors.
Hull win a free kick right on the edge of the box as Meyler is fouled by Routledge. A dangerous position for the Tiger to threaten from, they have to test Fabianski here.
CLOSE! Ramirez takes the free kick and fires his effort over the wall, the ball doesn't dip for him though as his strike goes inches over the bar. Fabianski probably would have had the strike covered anyway.
Swansea hit the Tigers on the break as Shelvey releases the run of Dyer down the right. The winger has space to coast into and he gets to the edge of the before deciding to cross for Gomis at the back post, but he gets his delivery all wrong and McGregor is able to gather the loose ball in the box. That's the second time Dyer has wasted a promising position for the visitors.
CHANCE! Jelavic almost heads his side level as he nods Elmohamady's cross towards the bottom corner, but Fabianski gets down low to his left to claw the ball behind for a corner.
CHANCES! McGregor keeps his side in the game as he makes an excellent stop to deny Shelvey with a point-blank save as the midfielder latched onto Carroll's cross at the back post. Swansea still have the chance to score as Ki lifts a cross into the path of Gomis, but he skews his volley wide of the post. A vital moment in the game and Hull are grateful to McGregor for keeping them in the contest.
SUBSTITUTION: Emnes replaces Carroll for the visitors.
CHANCE! Dyer releases Ki down the right and he crosses into the box for Emnes to strike at goal, but he gets his volley all wrong when unmarked on the penalty spot and his effort goes wide of the post.
SUBSTITUTION: A change in formation for Hull as defender Alex Bruce is replaced by Sone Aluko.
Aluko tries his luck from distance with a left-footed effort, but he scuffs his shot straight into the path of Fernandez, who skies his clearance, but Fabianski is on hand to claim the ball. Hull need to find their attacking momentum to get back into this game.
Almost a mirror image of the first half as Aluko fires an effort at goal, which takes a deflection off Livermore, but in this case the ball rolls into the hands of Fabianski rather than the back of the net.
YELLOW CARD! Aluko is yellow carded for a late tackle on Neil Taylor.
Taylor seems to have picked up an injury in the tackle as Aluko knocked his ankle, and the left-back is down receiving treatment from the Swansea physios.
Aluko has made an impact since coming onto the pitch and he hits a dangerous cross into the area from the right wing, but Fernandez is on hand to clear, while the attack breaks down when Meyler fails to find a teammate in the box again.
Dyer shows a burst of pace to get down the right flank to take on Robertson, but the defender sticks to his task to prevent the cross into box, although the all does go out for a corner.
CLOSE! Shelvey whips the corner into the box and Fernandez rises highest in the area to head the ball at goal, but his effort goes just over the bar.
OFF THE POST! Swansea should put the game out of sight as Emnes raids down the right and whips a cross into the box for Gomis. The striker volleys an effort towards goal, but his strike cannons off the post and Hull manage to clear the danger to fight another day. So close for Gomis and Monk's men.
YELLOW CARD! Taylor is booked for the Swans for a challenge on Aluko returning the favour from five minutes ago.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Davies is injured for the home side and is replaced by Harry Maguire, while Gomis goes off for the visitors as Bony comes onto the pitch.
Maguire makes a nuisance of himself in the penalty area from a free kick from the back, and he heads the ball into a dangerous area, but none of his teammates can react to the loose ball in the six-yard box, allowing Fabianski to gather.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Rangel replaces Richards for the visitors, while Sagnbo comes on for Jelavic for the Tigers.
Swansea are doing their utmost to take the pace out of the game as they desperately look to cling on to the three points. Remember the stat from earlier, the Swans have dropped more points from winning positions than any other team in the Premier League.
Hull are throwing caution to the winds here by throwing all of their big men from the back up front. They're just pumping the ball long and into the box and have thrown all subtlety out of the window. Desperate times call for desperate measures from the home side.
Bony and Routledge almost combine to end the game for the visitors, but the winger's final touch in the box lets him down and allows Maguire to close the ball down and help his side survive again.
There will be five minutes of added time.
It's just not happening for Hull in the final third of the pitch as Swansea have been equal to all of their long ball tactics in the past five minutes. It has been an excellent effort from the Swans' backline this afternoon.
CHANCE! Bony manages to shirk the challenge of Maguire and raids forward. The striker powers an effort at goal, but Chester gets enough on the ball to block it wide of the post. A corner for the visitors and a good chance to kill the clock here.
It's not happening for Hull as Swansea hold firm against the long ball for the umpteenth time this afternoon, and that should be enough to secure the three points.
FULL-TIME: Hull City 0-1 Swansea City
Swansea hold out for an important win to push themselves back into contention for a European place, in just their second away victory of the season, also their first since the opening day of the campaign. The winning goal as fortunate as Ki knew nothing about the ball as Shelvey's struck him and rolled into the net, but Garry Monk's men had enough chances in the second half to have won the game anyway. A solid away win for the Swans.
It is now 10 games without a win for the Tigers in the Premier League and the pressure is really ramping up on Bruce now. The Tigers were ineffectual for most of the match as they struggled to find their creative spark in the final third of the pitch. Hernandez and Jelavic were starved of service for the majority of the match, while the failed to find anything from their midfield, with Ramirez especially lacking. Hull now face a must-win game against Sunderland on Boxing Day, which Bruce dare not lose against his former club.
Thanks for joining our commentary this afternoon. Be sure to stick with Sports Mole for the rest of the day's action, but from me it's goodbye.
