Steve McClaren said before the match that Swansea City were exemplary when it came to combining good housekeeping with classy football, and Newcastle United’s new manager is unlikely to change his mind after his team’s deserved defeat in south Wales.
Swansea continued where they left off last season, or one could say last week, with Bafetimbi Gomis scoring his seventh goal in his past eight Premier League appearances and André Ayew scoring again after finding the net on his debut at Chelsea on the opening day.
McClaren pointed to the fact that Newcastle were down to 10 men for most of the match after Daryl Janmaat’s senseless sending off, and said the game was “even” until that point, but the fact is, Lukasz Fabianski was tested only once.
These clubs were on divergent paths last season, when Swansea were never out of the top 10 and ended up eighth – their best finish in the Premier League. Newcastle, in contrast, trailed in 15th after losing nine of their last 11 matches under John Carver, who, inevitably, was sacked. His successor, McClaren, has spent the thick end of £40m in search of the improvement that is needed if he is not to go the same way, but there was not much sign of it here.
Newcastle were unchanged from their 2-2 draw at home to Southampton; Swansea made one enforced alteration to the starting lineup used in gaining a more impressive point at Stamford Bridge – Jack Cork replacing the injured Ki Sung-yueng in midfield.
Jonjo Shelvey and Jefferson Montero were outstanding throughout and Swansea had already tested Tim Krul, with a shot from Gylfi Sigurdsson, before they took the lead in the ninth minute with a goal that typified their delightful philosophy. The move was 20 passes old when Shelvey picked out Gomis, unattended on the 18-yard line, from where the French striker rounded the goalkeeper in expert fashion before slotting the ball into the empty net.
Newcastle responded with a meaty drive from Gabriel Obertan - their first and last strike of note. Swansea did lose momentum for a spell midway through the first half, but the complexion of the game took a decisive change in the 41st minute, when Janmaat – who had already been booked – received his second yellow card and was sent off for pulling back Montero by his arm and shirt.
Garry Monk described Montero as the most dangerous player in the league in one-on-one situations, after the Ecuador winger had left Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic resembling a tailor’s dummy.
McClaren said his team had prepared to combat the threat, “but Montero did the same to us”, and when he cut in from the left, past two defenders, he was unlucky when his shot caused Krul’s right-hand upright to shiver, with the goalkeeper beaten.
Swansea were always in control against 10 men and, early in the second half, Sigurdsson went close to doubling their advantage when the Icelander rattled the Newcastle crossbar from the edge of the D.
The second goal was delayed only until the 52nd minute, when Montero skinned Fabricio Coloccini before delivering an inviting cross to the near post where Ayew rose to head firmly past Krul. McClaren immediately took off his sole striker, Papiss Cissé, and went into damage-limitation mode.
Monk said: “I thought Jefferson was exceptional again. He was always a threat. Their tactic was basically to kick him, but the referee spotted that.
“We dominated the game from start to finish which was very pleasing. I spoke to the players before the game about the need to build on their performance at Chelsea. I said good teams were able to follow one good performance with another one, and we did that today.”
