SM
Real Madrid vs. Mallorca: 19 hrs 14 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
CP
Premier League
Sep 22, 2013 at 1.30pm UK
 
SL

0-2

 
FT(HT: 0-1)
Michu (2'), Dyer (48')

Match Analysis: Crystal Palace 0-2 Swansea City

:Headline: Match Analysis: Crystal Palace 0-2 Swansea City: ID:106497: from db_amp
Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at Swansea City's comfortable 2-0 away win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

Swansea City cruised to their second Premier League win of the season this afternoon by beating Crystal Palace 2-0 at Selhurst Park.

The visitors made a perfect start to the match as Michu fired the ball past Julian Speroni with less than two minutes on the clock, before hitting the post moments later.

The Swans made a similar start to the second period, with Nathan Dyer sweeping home to complete the scoring within three minutes of the restart.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at a comfortable afternoon for Michael Laudrup's side.

Match statistics:

Crystal Palace:
Shots 9
On target 1
Possession 43%
Corners 6
Fouls 13

Swansea:
Shots 15
On target 7
Possession 57%
Corners 7
Fouls 9

Was the result fair?

Absolutely. Swansea made a blistering start to the match and, while they didn't keep that tempo up for the full 90 minutes, it knocked the wind out of Palace very early on. The Eagles could not get close to Swansea for large periods of the match as Laudrup's side knocked the ball about confidently and quickly. The home crowd did their best to lift the Palace players, but every supporter in the stadium would agree that Swansea deserved to come away with all three points and, in truth, it could have been more than a two-goal margin.

Crystal Palace's performance

Very disappointing. After decent, albeit losing, performances against the likes Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, manager Ian Holloway will have been livid to see his side go down to Swansea with such a whimper. They failed to create a really good chance in the match, coming closest to with shots from outside the box that Michel Vorm had covered when they whistled over the bar. They were playing against a Swansea side in top form, but Palace will have to improve significantly if they are to stay in the Premier League this season.

Swansea's performance

The perfect end to an almost perfect week. Having beaten Valencia so convincingly on Thursday in the Europa League, Swansea quashed any concerns of fatigue and picked up where they left off. They started both halves brilliantly and could have conceivably been 3-0 up within five minutes of the first. They passed the ball about neatly from start to finish and Palace could not cope with their free-flowing football at times. Swansea will certainly face tougher teams than Palace this season but, if they play like they did today, they will fancy their chances against anyone.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Michu: At the heart of all of Swansea's good football was Michu. He provided an important link between the midfield and Alvaro Vazquez until the latter went off, and then continued to play the role in a more advanced position. He was guilty on a couple of occasions of trying to be too clever, but overall he was the man who Palace struggled to deal with most. His performance warranted the early goal and he could have had more.

Biggest gaffe

He may have been man of the match, but Michu was also responsible for the gaffe of the game. As the ball was fed into him from the wing, he had a relatively easy shot available to him that he would have expected to score from. Instead, he tried to be too cute and flicked the ball on to a teammate at the far post. Had it come off, one would be singing his praises, but it didn't and it wasted a good chance for his side with the score at 1-0.

Referee performance

This was one of the easier games Kevin Friend will have had to officiate. He did not have a great deal to do, with the only real flash point coming when Angel Rangel reacted angrily to a tackle from Dean Moxey. Friend calmed the situation down, flashed a couple of yellow cards and that was the end of it. Good refereeing.

What next?

Crystal Palace: Points are becoming paramount for Palace already this season, but their next trip is not an easy one as they face Southampton at St Mary's Stadium next Saturday.

Swansea: Swansea, meanwhile, will travel to the Midlands to take on Birmingham City in the League Cup on Wednesday.

amp_article__106497 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2013-09-24 01:40:58:
html db last update - 2013-09-24 01:40:58 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leeds UnitedLeeds26158348192953
2Burnley26141023192252
3Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd26166436171952
4Sunderland26148439221750
5Middlesbrough26118743321141
6West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom26913432211140
7Blackburn RoversBlackburn2511682823539
8Bristol City2691073330337
9Watford25114103536-137
10Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds2610793840-237
11Norwich CityNorwich269984337636
12Swansea CitySwansea2697103030034
13Queens Park RangersQPR2671182934-532
14Millwall257992423130
15Preston North EndPreston2661282834-630
16Coventry CityCoventry2678113437-329
17Oxford UnitedOxford Utd2577112840-1228
18Derby CountyDerby2676133135-427
19Stoke CityStoke2669112432-827
20Luton TownLuton2674152744-1725
21Portsmouth2458113041-1123
22Hull City2658132536-1123
23Cardiff CityCardiff2558122540-1523
24Plymouth ArgylePlymouth2548132453-2920
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .