Hull City vs Swansea City. Sky Bet Championship.
MKM StadiumAttendance23,036.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Hull City and Swansea at the MKM Stadium as Russell Martin's Swans saw their slim play-off hopes ended on Saturday afternoon.
Saturday 29 April 2023 18:27, UK
Swansea's Sky Bet Championship play-off aspirations ended with a 1-1 draw at Hull.
The Welsh side cannot finish in the top six after they claimed just a point at the MKM Stadium.
Swansea, who went into the game on the back of four straight wins, fell behind after three minutes when defender Ben Cabango chested into his own net.
But they responded well from that setback and deserved to equalise through Luke Cundle's curling finish six minutes before half-time.
Swansea, however, never kicked on after the break and found Hull in a belligerent mood.
Reaching the play-offs was always going to be a huge ask, but their recent form - 19 points from a possible 21 in their previous seven games - offered supporters hope of a dramatic late dash.
It was not to be, though, as Russell Martin's men were damaged by Hull's early goal.
Excellent midfielder Jean Michael Seri flighted a wonderful ball from the centre of the park towards an onrushing Harry Vaughan on the left.
Vaughan had too much space to charge into the penalty area and attempted to pass to Ozan Tufan on the edge of the six-yard box.
Cabango anticipated the danger, but the ball struck his chest and squirmed past unfortunate goalkeeper Andy Fisher.
Swansea responded with an eye-catching spell of possession-based football.
One particular period of sustained pressure resulted in the visitors' equaliser after 39 minutes.
Neat play on the left gave Jamie Paterson the opportunity to thread through Cundle in an inviting position. The Wolves loan signing struck first time and calmly sided-footed into the bottom right.
Given the manner in which the first half concluded, it was a surprise to see Hull dominate the early stages after the restart.
Many home fans thought they had scored a second after 50 minutes when Tufan's low free-kick from distance hit the side-netting with Fisher well beaten.
Hull manager Liam Rosenior must have expected a Swansea rally, but it never happened until on the hour when Cundle's central header drew a routine save off Karl Darlow.
And, if anything, the home side looked more likely to win the longer the game went on.
That was nearly the case after 72 minutes when Adama Traore smuggled into space on the right before teeing up Tufan on the edge of the penalty area. The Turkey international let rip with his right foot, but the ball hit the crossbar and ricocheted to safety.
That was as good as it got for both teams, with Swansea increasingly aware of their fate and Hull perfectly content to take a point from their final home game of the season.
Hull's Liam Rosenior:
"The game was an outstanding performance from both teams. We both look really good at this level. I think we more than matched them and created the outstanding chances. They dominated the ball, but I expected that and I was so proud of the players as they never stopped running and trying. We are building as a team. I was delighted with the goal - it was an unbelievable team goal.
"There were a lot of real positives that we can build on next season. There's a positive feel around the club and I'm delighted to be part of it. I love this club so for me to be part of this journey is something unbelievable and gives me so much motivation."
Swansea's Russell Martin:
"The players are genuinely disappointed that the chance has gone. That shows how far we have come and now it's important to finish the season really strongly. If we win next week we'll finish in a really respectable position in the league that far exceeds the financial position we have currently. I'm incredibly proud of the players - as people and human beings they are amazing.
"They've grown so much this season in terms of their connection of what we do. They understand their roles and have each other's backs. We're probably two or three missing pieces from really competing. Hopefully we can now get a bit of (financial) help in terms of taking us to the next level."
