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Marco Silva says Hull deserved to beat relegation rivals Swansea

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Hull boss Marco Silva believes that his side embraced the pressure in an improved second half to beat Swansea 2-1

Marco Silva believes Hull deserved to beat Swansea after overcoming their nerves at the KCOM Stadium.

The Tigers claimed a hard-fought 2-1 victory in their relegation six-pointer on Saturday, largely thanks to Oumar Niasse's quick-fire brace after the interval.

Silva admits his players failed to produce their best during a lacklustre first half but was impressed with their response after the break.

"It was clear in the first half our players felt a little anxious," Silva said.

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Hull 2-1 Swansea

"[There was] nervousness in our team. The last decision there was always mistakes, we never took the good decision.

"[We were] better in the second half, we played calmer and faster. Faster is important - it started to give problems to our opponent."

Niasse came off the bench to break the deadlock with a composed finish past Lukasz Fabianski before he doubled his side's lead with a close-range strike shortly afterwards.

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Oumar Niasse celebrates the first of his two goals against Swansea
Image: Oumar Niasse scored twice as Hull claimed a crucial win at the KCOM Stadium

Silva was quick to praise the Senegalese forward after the match but was also impressed with the contribution of Abel Hernandez, who played a part in both goals.

"He did very well," Silva said. "He scored two goals but [what was] really important was the work of Abel. Both goals Abel stayed with him and gave good assists.

"It's really important for both when one striker scores. They did well, they worked well and all of our team worked well."

Oumar Niasse celebrates putting Hull ahead against Swansea
Image: The Senegalese striker scored a quickfire brace after coming on as a substitute

Hull move to within two points of Swansea following their victory at the KCOM Stadium but Silva insists his side must remain focused on themselves, rather than their rivals at the bottom of the Premier League.

"The focus is always on our team first of all and we need to win the points and after to see what the other teams will do," he said.

"Of course it is important to win to put us again in the fight. The three points for us is really important."

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