Swansea City vs Bristol City. Sky Bet Championship.
Swansea.com StadiumAttendance19,162.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Swansea and Bristol City at the Swansea.com Stadium as goals from Michael Obafemi, Cyrus Christie and Joel Piroe seal a ruthless comeback victory for Russell Martin's men
Sunday 13 February 2022 19:23, UK
Swansea staged a ruthless second-half display to beat Bristol City 3-1 at home in the Sky Bet Championship.
Andreas Weimann had put the Robins ahead three minutes before the interval with his 15th goal of the season.
But the Swans turned things around in dramatic fashion after the break as goals from Michael Obafemi, Cyrus Christie and Joel Piroe delighted a 19,000-plus crowd at the Swansea.com Stadium.
Both clubs found themselves in the lower reaches of the Championship table on the back of modest form.
But Bristol City had at least ended a three-game winless streak by beating Reading in midweek and grew into the contest after a cautious opening.
Matt Grimes and Piroe combined for Obafemi to fire straight at goalkeeper Max O'Leary from 20 yards.
Swansea were typically patient with their build-up play, but Obafemi injected some urgency with a driving run that ended with Tomas Kalas blocking his shot.
There were half-hearted home appeals for a penalty when Grimes pirouetted in the Robins' box and fell to the floor.
But Bristol City's menace was slowly increasing and Andy Fisher turned over Chris Martin's effort following a neat lay-off from Antoine Semenyo.
Alex Scott and Weimann were both off target from distance before the visitors took the lead three minutes before half-time.
Piroe lost possession and Semenyo released Weimann, who advanced to slot home in unerring fashion.
Swansea raised the tempo after the restart and were level after 54 minutes.
Christie's wayward shot skidded towards the far post where Obafemi poached his third goal of the season, and second in three games.
Obafemi was at the centre of the action and his collision with O'Leary ended with the Bristol City goalkeeper limping off to be replaced by Daniel Bentley.
Bentley's goal survived intact when Swansea worked a clever corner routine.
Grimes arrived unmarked at the far post and his effort sparked a scramble which ended with Hannes Wolf firing over.
Weimann's deflected attempt at the other end just cleared the crossbar and Martin also flicked over as Bristol City showed they were not done as an attacking force.
But Swansea seized the lead 11 minutes from time when Ryan Manning's cross flashed across Bristol City's six-yard box and Christie nodded past Bentley after his first attempt had ballooned into the air off the goalkeeper.
The Republic of Ireland full-back, signed last month on loan from Fulham until the end of the season, had only previously scored eight times in over 380 club games.
Piroe wrapped up the points - and a first Swansea double over Bristol City since the 1957-58 season - in the fourth minute of stoppage time, with his low shot giving Bentley no chance.
Swansea's Russell Martin: "I went to a game on Saturday where a team that really trusts in the process of what they're doing stuck at it after a really difficult period. It was the Welsh rugby match and the crowd helped them. The second half here felt like that. The crowd were massive, they played their part and fed off the team's energy. It makes such a huge difference. In the last two games, especially in the second half, the way the team and the fans have connected has been hugely important.
"I'm really proud of the players. We had a few sloppy moments and a bit of a lack of confidence from Tuesday. We conceded a goal from a mistake and it was a tough position to be in. We spoke about it at half-time, trying to be the team we want to be and show real courage. They did that in the second half."
Bristol City's Nigel Pearson: "It's not unlucky when you defend like that, you get what you deserve. All three goals were poor, individuals, flimsy defending. You can't give players desire. We get in front and concede three c**p goals. We're good going forward but we might have to make changes. We've got players who between now and the end of the season we'll see if they're good enough to be here next year, if I'm the manager or anybody else.
"People like me lose my job through results. This football club for too long has had players going through the motions and I'm not having it. I've said all this to the players. If I was in there as a player I'd be kicking off. I'm not protecting players on a day when we should get something out of the game."
