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Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Ian Mitchelmore

Wolves loanee emphatically allays fears against Hull City as Swansea City moment becomes a message

Swansea City signed off for the international break in sublime fashion as they thumped Hull City 3-0 at the Swansea.com Stadium.

Here are the key talking points to emerge from the Championship contest in south Wales.

Wolves man grasps chance

There was understandably huge concern when Joe Allen was withdrawn in the first-half due to a hamstring injury.

But those worries were swiftly put to bed by Luke Cundle who produced a magnificent display as Swansea ultimately cruised to victory. Operating in a more advanced role which saw Jay Fulton drop deep, the 20-year-old was able to add quality to the attack and linked up nicely with Ollie Cooper and Joel Piroe.

READ MORE: Post-Sheffield United speech left Russell Martin close to tears and inspired Swansea City win

Having already rattled the crossbar with a driven strike, Cundle was alert to tap home his first goal in senior football following a shambolic error by Hull. The confidence flowed through his veins, as evidenced by his slick touch to divert Kyle Naughton's driven pass into the path of Piroe who had a shot blocked.

He was awarded Sky's Player of the Match award, and his statistics make for very impressive reading. Cundle ended the match having completed 26 of his 29 passes while he created two chances and won possession on four occasions.

It was the type of cameo that Swansea have so desperately lacked from their substitutes this season, and one that left head coach Russell Martin beaming with pride in his post-match press conference.

"His intelligence, eagerness, willingness and want to show how good he is gets him the goal," said Martin.

"He's still getting used to what we do. Luke has been in and around the Premier League but has not played a huge amount of games. He's had to be patient, and today he showed he's a player to be excited about.

"He's really technically gifted, so we're grateful that we have a good relationship with people at Wolves, myself and Josh [Marsh], and that they've agreed to send him here because of the style and how much it fits him. Him and Ollie were fantastic."

A moment becomes a message

The mood was significantly lifted after Ryan Manning fired the Swans ahead in the 61st minute.

But there was a telling moment from the hosts just two minutes later, and a minute before they doubled their advantage. Hull found themselves in possession just outside the centre circle in their own half, but Swansea wanted, or rather, were intent, on regaining possession.

Piroe made a short sprint to put in a firm tackle before Jay Fulton slid on the deck to win the ball with a second challenge, and the Jack Army duly rose to their feet to applaud.

They were two simple but immensely effective actions that stemmed from what are ultimately basic requirements for any professional footballer. Effort and desire.

Certain players have flattered to deceive at times this season for varying reasons, but this was an example of how certain others are only too willing to graft for the greater good of the team and the supporters.

Arveladze's praise

Shota Arveladze admits Swansea fully deserved their win over his Hull side.

Defeat for the Tigers was their fourth in a row while they have the worst defensive record in the Championship after 10 games of the campaign. And Arveladze - who has said he feels under pressure as a result of his side's wretched run - had no complaints with the scoreline on Saturday afternoon.

“It was a difficult game," he said. "We expected the game to go that way because Swansea keep the ball so well. We tried to block the lines, but they beat us well and created a lot of chances.

“They are a good side and a better side than us on the day, although we had some good moments in the game."

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Obafemi hope

Russell Martin says Michael Obafemi still has a big part to play at Swansea following his return to the side against Hull.

The striker was left out of the squad for the Swans' matches against Queens Park Rangers and Sheffield United but was listed among the substitutes for the clash with the Tigers. He replaced Piroe in the final stages and was jeered by a significant section of the Swansea faithful.

But Martin hopes the striker can perform well with Republic of Ireland during the international break and return to Swansea in a better position to prove his worth.

"It [crowd reaction] was mixed, some were really warm, a couple of people booing. People make what they want of the situation," said Martin.

"They just want people to come on and work as hard as possible. He did that when he came on and he's done that this week in training. That's all we want from him.

"Hopefully he'll go away with Ireland and do well with them and he'll come back as the Michael we know and love.

"He'll be a big part for us, for sure. He's got some real competition at the minute with Joel Piroe doing what he does. The competition is great for us."

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