report Swansea City 4-1 Aston Villa
Swansea's Premier League place is safe for another year after achieving back-to-back wins for the first time in nearly 18 months, but Villa remain embroiled in the relegation battle to the dismay of their fans, who assailed their manager with choruses of "We want Lambert out" and "What the hell is this?"
Paul Lambert has seen his team take just one point from their last six matches and they urgently need to win their last home game, against Hull next Saturday. After that they face difficult trips to Manchester City and Tottenham.
Swansea have flirted with relegation themselves, but successive victories against Newcastle and now Villa have made them safe. Wilfried Bony scored twice to take his total for the season to 24, but the highlight of an entertaining game was Jonjo Shelvey's goal, from 45 yards.
It is arguable that the two managers needed a favourable result more than their teams. The Swansea board are said to be divided over appointing Garry Monk on a permanent basis, his record of three wins from his first 11 Premier League matches less than convincing. Paul Lambert also has cause to be concerned about his job security, with Randy Lerner expected to sell Villa at the end of the season. A new owner often means a new manager, and Lambert has presided over a tumble from 10th place in mid-March to the relegation fringes after four straight defeats. With Christian Benteke, Charles N'Zogbia and Libor Kozak still recovering from injury, Villa were unchanged from last weekend's goalless draw at home to Southampton. The Swans were without Chico Flores, suspended, and Michu, who has ankle trouble.
Heavy rain had drenched the pitch, but had nothing to do with the early handling error which saw Brad Guzan, challenged by Bony, drop Jonathan de Guzman's long cross from the right. It was the start of a bad afternoon for the Villa goalkeeper. When Bony confronted him again, after nine minutes, the outcome was more serious. Shelvey's through pass from near halfway sent Swansea's leading scorer powering through the middle before beating the advancing keeper from 19 yards.
Villa hit back hard and threatened to equalise in the 19th minute, when Marc Albrighton's 25-yard drive had Michel Vorm hurtling to his right to turn the ball round the post. The goal they needed was delayed by less than three minutes. Then Albrighton's penetrative cross from the right was turned in by Agbonlahor from inside the six-yard box.
They were level again for barely five minutes before Shelvey's wonder strike. Guzan, dawdling in possession, was given the hurry up by the referee and tossed the ball to Ron Vlaar, who passed it back, forcing the keeper into a hurried clearance which flew into the centre circle. Clear? Hardly. Shelvey volleyed it straight back over the retreating keeper and under the crossbar.
Both teams played decent football and neither looked like relegation material. That won't surprise regular observers of Swansea's pleasing passing game, but Villa, too, like to get the ball down and play. The Swans needed a third goal to make the game safe and Shelvey, shooting from 25 yards, had Guzan extended to his right and happy to concede a corner, then De Guzman wasted an inviting opportunity, firing wide from much closer in.
Villa, playing with good width, remained admirably competitive with Agbonlahor always a threat.
It was Swansea, however, who always looked likeliest to score again, and they secured the points in the 73rd minute, when Shelvey's cross enabled Pablo Hernández to step inside two would-be tacklers before rifling a shot across Guzan and into his left-hand corner. Cue gleeful choruses of "Staying Up" from the Welsh choirs.
In the third minute of added time Aston Villa's Nathan Baker pushed substitute Marvin Emnes in the back and Bony scored his second from the spot.
