Swansea City 2-1 Blackpool: Ten-man Seasiders stay bottom after Connolly own goal

  • Published
  • comments
Matty Sorinola celebrates his goalImage source, Huw Evans picture agency
Image caption,

Matty Sorinola's goal was his second since joining Swansea on a season-long loan

Blackpool remain bottom of the Championship after Mick McCarthy's 10-man team went down 2-1 at Swansea City.

Matty Sorinola volleyed Swansea into a deserved lead before Charlie Patino was sent off having been shown a second yellow card.

Blackpool levelled when Sonny Carey swept home only for Callum Connolly's own goal to hand Swansea victory.

Blackpool stay four points adrift of safety having seen their winless league run stretches to 14 games.

Swansea climb to 12th, five points adrift of the top six.

A first win in four league games - and just the third in Swansea's last 15 - is a welcome boost for Russell Martin and his players after a difficult spell both on and off the pitch.

But the worrying times continue for Blackpool, who last tasted Championship victory in October.

One of McCarthy's final acts as Cardiff City manager was to oversee a heavy derby defeat on this ground 16 months ago.

His hopes of a happier return to south west Wales did not look especially great from the moment Joel Piroe's drive was pawed to safety by Chris Maxwell in the second minute.

Swansea were allowed time to stroke the ball around - and that meant problems for McCarthy's rearguard.

Sorinola's goal came after Swansea had played their way from one penalty area to the other, with the right wing-back initially overhitting an attempted cross.

The ball reached Ryan Manning on the opposite flank, and his return cross allowed Sorinola to steer home with his left foot.

Swansea ought to have doubled their lead when Ollie Cooper sliced wide, while Piroe's measured effort hit the base of the post before Manning's driven rebound was beaten away by Maxwell.

Blackpool offered little until Josh Bowler made his presence felt just before half-time.

First a swift counter ended with Andy Fisher smothering Bowler's long-range shot, then the on-loan Nottingham Forest winger drew a sharper save from Swansea's goalkeeper with a back-post volley.

Blackpool showed more purpose in the early stages of the second half - and found a way back into the contest despite Patino's dismissal.

Having been booked before the break for catching Matt Grimes, the on-loan Arsenal teenager saw red for clattering Sorinola on halfway.

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Swansea's Joel Piroe celebrates after Callum Connolly scores what proved to be a decisive own goal

Yet Blackpool did not lie down, and equalised when a sweeping move opened Swansea up and Jerry Yates squared for Carey to find the far corner.

Swansea had offered little going forward in the second half, but needed just three minutes - and a helping hand from Connolly - to restore the lead.

When the busy Sorinola whipped in a menacing cross from the right, Connolly stretched in an attempt to clear and only succeeded in diverting the ball inside Maxwell's near post.

Still Blackpool were not beaten, and they came within inches of an equaliser when Joel Latibeaudiere gave the ball away and Carey hit the outside of the post.

Swansea head coach Russell Martin:

"It is probably a bit of relief. I'm really proud of the players, we have the youngest team in the Championship again tonight. We should have been out of sight again by half-time, we were so dominant and we created loads.

"I'm really frustrated we took our foot off the gas and the crowd sensed it. We don't have the instinct to really kill it.

"The second half, we didn't start very well, they get a man sent off, we should kill the game off and we create a few good openings and then concede a goal out of nowhere. That caused big anxiety with the crowd and the players.

"It's a brilliant cross, but we rely on an own goal to win which we just shouldn't need to. After that, two more moments, when they hit the post, make everyone feel more anxious, so it probably became more difficult than it should have been, but I understand it."

Blackpool head coach Mick McCarthy:

"It was a difficult first half and we found it hard to cope with them. They deserved their lead, but in the second half the lads were great.

"We have had another sending off, but I'm not going to be too harsh on Charlie. He's a young lad and he was just a bit rash. He was trying to win the ball.

"With 10 men, we have made a really good effort and got one back. Really, we could have got the second as well because we played well.

"We are bottom of the league, but there is no point in being miserable about it. We have got to keep looking up."

Sorry, we can't display this part of the article any more.

Related internet links

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.