<
>
2015-2016 Barclays Premier League
  • Jack Cork (26' OG)
  • Gylfi Sigurdsson (17' PEN)
  • André Ayew (34')

Swansea City beat Everton as Francesco Guidolin starts with win

Francesco Guidolin collected three points in his first full game as Swansea City manager with an impressive 2-1 win against Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday.

Gylfi Sigurdsson put the visitors ahead from the penalty spot, but Jack Cork put through his own net from a corner to level the scores.

But the Toffees were disappointing save for the excellent Gerard Deulofeu, and Andre Ayew restored the Swans' lead before half-time with Guidolin's team holding firm for the win after the interval.

Everton came close to an early lead when they hit the post through Muhamed Besic, who had to be substituted shortly afterwards as he picked up an injury.

But it was the Swans who took the lead, with Ayew punishing a mix-up between John Stones and Tim Howard.

Stones played a poor backpass to Howard under pressure, and Ayew closed in to nick the ball away from the static U.S. keeper and win a penalty in the process, which Sigurdsson brilliantly finished 17 minutes in.

The hosts were level nine minutes later as Deulofeu's low corner was flicked across goal by Gareth Barry, with the ball taking a vital deflection off Jack Cork past Lukasz Fabianski.

Roberto Martinez was forced into another substitution straight after the equaliser as Kevin Mirallas was replaced by Steven Pienaar due to what looked like another hamstring injury.

Toffees centre-back Stones looked uncomfortable throughout the first half as Swansea closed him down successfully, and played a part in the Welsh club's second goal 11 minutes from the interval.

Everton were denied what they believed to be a handball by Swans captain Ashley Williams in an attempted break forwards, and that decision proved costly for the hosts.

The visitors in turn surged forward through Neil Taylor on the left flank, whose pass was turned in first-time by the impressive Ayew via a wicked deflection which took the ball up and over Howard.

Everton departed at half-time to a chorus of boos from the Goodison Park crowd, and stepped up after the interval.

Ross Barkley was spared the fans' full wrath as the offside flag went up following a woeful miss from six yards, while Deulofeu was frustrated with his teammates unable to get on the end of a series of whipped crosses from the right flank.

The Toffees continued to search for an equaliser, and their claims for a penalty were denied as Anthony Taylor ruled that Taylor had not deliberately handled a Leighton Baines cross with 20 minutes remaining.

Romelu Lukaku was inches away from turning in another fine Deulofeu cross at the back post after 75 minutes, and then forced Fabianski into a save with a 12-yard header.

Martinez's men continued to search for a goal as Swansea sat deeper, Seamus Coleman wasted another fine chance with a sliced effort, and Coleman then missed from two yards out with the last of the game as time ran out for the Toffees.

English Premier League Standings

POS Team GP GD PTS
1 Manchester City 32 +44 73
2 Arsenal 32 +49 71
3 Liverpool 32 +41 71
4 Aston Villa 33 +19 63
5 Tottenham Hotspur 32 +16 60
6 Newcastle United 32 +17 50
7 Manchester United 32 -1 50
8 West Ham United 33 -6 48
9 Chelsea 31 +9 47
10 Brighton & Hove Albion 32 +2 44
11 Wolverhampton Wanderers 32 -5 43
12 Fulham 33 -2 42
13 AFC Bournemouth 32 -10 42
14 Crystal Palace 32 -17 33
15 Brentford 33 -11 32
16 Everton 32 -16 27
17 Nottingham Forest 33 -16 26
18 Luton Town 33 -24 25
19 Burnley 33 -35 20
20 Sheffield United 32 -54 16