Swansea City 2-2 Bournemouth
- Published
Swansea have not won at home since beating Manchester United in late August
Swansea City fought back from 2-0 down to claim a thrilling draw against Bournemouth.
Joshua King and Dan Gosling put the visitors in control to increase the pressure on Swans manager Garry Monk.
Andre Ayew's backheel and Jonjo Shelvey's penalty brought Swansea level at the end of a breathless first half.
Bournemouth dominated after the break but the point keeps them in the relegation zone, while Swansea remain 14th.
Although the Swans remain five points clear of the bottom three, a run of one victory in nine Premier League games keeps the focus on Monk's future.
Pressure on Monk
Monk became permanent Swansea manager in May 2014 after an initial spell as caretaker boss
Monk had been under intense scrutiny prior to this match, with the 36-year-old claiming reports he was facing the sack were driven by people with an "agenda".
Swansea 2-2 Bournemouth: Cherries should have won - Howe
In an attempt to arrest his side's slump, he dropped four first-team regulars - Federico Fernandez, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Jefferson Montero and Bafetimbi Gomis making way for Kyle Bartley, Leon Britton, Wayne Routledge and Eder.
One of those recalled was at fault for the opening goal, as Bartley's clearance hit Ki Sung-Yueng and fell to Junior Stanislas, who squared for King to slide in.
Swansea were ragged defensively and, after Stanislas had a goal disallowed for offside, the hosts were soon punished again as Gosling rifled the ball high into the net to double Bournemouth's advantage.
First-half turnaround
Gosling's goal prompted boos from the home fans, but they were soon replaced by roars of encouragement as Ayew's audacity halved their deficit.
The heat maps for Swansea's Wayne Routledge (left) and Bournemouth's Matt Ritchie show their contrasting influences on the game on their respective right flanks
Found by Shelvey's header in the box, Ayew had time to turn but instead backheeled the ball into the net.
The Ghanaian also played a prominent role in the equaliser, as he ran on to Britton's through-ball and was adjudged to have been tripped by Simon Francis - although replays suggested Ayew fell over his own feet.
Shelvey confidently converted the penalty and, with his team level and the home fans behind them, Monk seemed a little more at ease on the touchline.
Bournemouth frustrated
Bournemouth had won only one of their nine league fixtures prior to this match but, given he is in charge of a newly-promoted side, manager Eddie Howe is under minimal pressure when compared to Monk.
Bournemouth were thwarted in their bid to win for the first time since 19 September
The Cherries were still in need of a victory, however, and started the second half as they did the first, controlling possession and pinning Swansea back in their own half.
Defender Steve Cook had their best chance, volleying wide from a corner, but in the closing stages it was the hosts who looked likelier to score.
Man of the match - Andre Ayew
Swansea were desperate for victory but, were it not for Ayew's goal and his role in their penalty, it could have been much worse
What they said
Swansea manager Garry Monk: "To be 2-0 down, the players showed great bravery and fantastic spirit to get back. You could feel that tension, it affected us with the ball and our confidence. We need to build that side of it by putting a run of results together.
Swansea 2-2 Bournemouth: Monk says Swans should be more confident
"This is a point gained and a result to put us on the road to getting our confidence. Overall we have to be happy with a point."
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe: "We should be standing here with three points. We're disappointed but there were a lot of positives.
"The players are beginning to believe in themselves a lot more, they know they have nothing to fear. I'm very proud to be Bournemouth manager tonight."
On Swansea's penalty: "He [Andre Ayew] has induced the penalty but the referee has fallen for it."
The stats you may have missed
Joshua King scored his first Bournemouth goal in his 11th Premier League appearance for the Cherries. He is the 35th different Norwegian to score in the division
Since the start of last season, only Cesc Fabregas (20) has provided more assists than Matt Ritchie (19) in the top four tiers of English league football
Eddie Howe's side have shipped 27 goals in the Premier League this season, more than any other team
What next?
Swansea have a challenging trio of fixtures coming up, starting with a trip to Liverpool, followed by the visit of surprise high-flyers Leicester to the Liberty Stadium. It concludes with a meeting with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
Bournemouth host Everton next, then visit Chelsea before facing Manchester United on home soil.