Wednesday 9 May 2018 08:11, UK
Carlos Carvalhal insists Swansea now need a miracle to avoid relegation from the Premier League following their 1-0 defeat to Southampton.
In beating Swansea, Southampton took a huge step towards safety as Manolo Gabbiadini's goal secured all three points at the Liberty Stadium.
The result saw West Brom relegated, while Southampton now have 36 points - three more than Swansea, who entertain relegated Stoke on Sunday. The Saints' goal difference is also nine better than Swansea's, so they will be safe barring a significant turnaround.
Huddersfield also remain in the mix given the poor state of their goal difference, although one point from remaining games against Chelsea - which is live on Sky Sports Premier League on Wednesday - and Arsenal will ensure they finish above Swansea.
"At the end of the game we had the feeling that we deserved a little more, a minimum of one point," Carvalhal told Sky Sports. "But we played to win. Now we are in the position where we rely on others but we are not relegated yet.
"We don't know what will happen tomorrow and at the weekend we must try to do our part by winning the game against Stoke and then let's see if a miracle can happen."
Swansea's seven-season stay in the Premier League is now in real jeopardy and Carvalhal faces a massive job lifting his players for their final day clash against already-relegated Stoke.
But the Portuguese boss is still expecting a reaction from his players.
"It's the situation that nobody likes," he said. "We had the thing in our hands and now we don't have the thing in our hands.
"We are depending on others at the moment but this is the reality. The reality is let's see what happens tomorrow again and afterwards the weekend.
"We must do our part, win the game and after wait to see how things develop," he added.
"We are professionals. This situation is not easy but we must react very fast because we have a game on Sunday. We must do our part and we will do it. Sunday we will be here to try and win the game again."
Swansea had their chances against Southampton but they found Alex McCarthy in excellent form with Englishman making superb saves to deny Andy King, Jordan Ayew and Tammy Abraham.
Sam Clucas also missed an excellent chance in the first-half, diverting King's cross wide but Carvalhal refused to blame his players.
"It's difficult to explain because we create chances," he said. "We created chances today, we created chances against Chelsea, we created enough chances against Everton to win the game and we didn't score.
"I never put the responsibility on my players. It's not because they miss goals, it's not their fault. They were very honest. They gave everything and the fans gave everything also.
"I never use any kind of situation to put my responsibility out and I will not put the responsibility on the players, that's for sure because they deserve that I protect them."
