By the end, Swansea City cut a sorry sight. So often examples of quiet, well-planned progress, they had lost their lead, their place in the FA Cup and their discipline. Depleted by two dismissals, their nine remaining men left the Ewood Park pitch eliminated by a Blackburn side 21 places below them in the league ladder. After last week’s 5-0 thrashing by Chelsea, this represented another damaging defeat.
In the greater context of their campaign, perhaps the biggest blow came in stoppage time when Gylfi Sigurdsson chopped down Chris Taylor. A wild hack brought a straight red card and Swansea’s scorer now misses matches against Southampton, Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion. They are already deprived of his sidekick, the sold Wilfried Bony, and their momentum is entirely downward. “We wanted to get back on track,” said Garry Monk. Instead, Swansea’s problems worsened, leaving their grim-faced manager vowing that a promising start to the season will not be squandered. “It won’t fizzle out,” he insisted. “I will make sure. It is my job. I won’t accept that.”
Yet while it is a mitigating factor that Swansea had to play with 10 men for 83 minutes, it should concern Monk that, until the final flourishes, Blackburn scarcely seemed a team, a club or even a town with a desperate wish to remain in the FA Cup. This was a near-empty Ewood Park, with only 5,928 paying to attend, and Rovers made six changes, one more than Swansea.
Their two premier strikers were both held in reserve. Jordan Rhodes’ contribution was confined to the final quarter of an hour but, if it was interpreted as an audition for a place in the Swansea attack, Monk was quick to reject such suggestions. “Ridiculous,” he said. “I am not looking for another striker. He is not on our radar.” Rhodes eventually surfaced to come on for David Dunn, himself a substitute, and had not touched the ball before his sidekick delivered the crucial goal.
Rudy Gestede had been omitted against Wigan after Crystal Palace bid for him. “The way Rudy conducted himself has been magnificent,” said the Blackburn manager Gary Bowyer. “I had no trouble putting him back in the squad and putting him on. We said: ‘Go on and score the winner’.” It was only Craig Conway’s 89th-minute clincher that prevented Gestede from doing that.
If his 13th goal of the season is to prove a parting gift to supporters who gave him vocal backing, it was a fitting farewell. The target man’s aerial menace and uncompromising approach has attracted the attention of Premier League clubs and he illustrated he can torment top-flight defences. Having won a header from Marcus Olsson’s cross, he reacted to his own knockdown by lifting a shot past Lukasz Fabianski. “A poor goal,” said Monk. “It was poor marking. You can’t afford to do that at any level.” Soon, his goalkeeper, who excelled in Arsenal’s FA Cup final victory in May, rubberstamped Swansea’s defeat by fumbling Conway’s shot.
Cue Sigurdsson’s exit. “Frustration,” noted Bowyer sagely, but Swansea’s ire was directed at the referee, Craig Pawson. “I think it warranted a yellow,” insisted Monk. “He had a lunge, it wasn’t reckless or dangerous. The ref sprinted to get the red card out.”
Pawson first reached for it after only seven minutes. Matt Kilgallon aimed a hopeful punt over the Swansea defence. Kyle Bartley dawdled inexplicably and, as Josh King darted past him, defender and striker tangled arms. “The attacker didn’t appeal,” complained Monk, though he noted: “You are running a risk as the last defender. Kyle didn’t get himself into the right position.” The case for the defence actually came from his Blackburn counterpart. “The first one was harsh,” said Bowyer, sympathising with Bartley.
But Swansea’s plans required a rethink. “All that preparation done during the week goes out of the window,” Monk said. In the ensuing reshuffle, Tom Carroll was taken off and Sigurdsson withdrawn into the centre of midfield. He advanced to put Swansea ahead in spectacular fashion, unleashing a 30-yard shot that left Simon Eastwood clawing at thin air. Rovers’ response was swift. Parity was restored after 135 seconds. Olsson crossed from the left, Tom Cairney headed the ball down and, after taking a touch, Taylor hooked his shot beyond Fabianski.
His three goals this season have all come in the FA Cup and mean Rovers may be rediscovering a fondness for a competition they won five times in the 19th century. Bowyer added: “To beat a Premier League side is a fantastic achievement for any Championship team.”
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