Swansea vs. Manchester United: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
Swansea City earned their first ever league double over Manchester United on Saturday with a 2-1 victory at the Liberty Stadium.
Ki Sung-yueng and Bafetimbi Gomis scored a goal each for the Swans after Ander Herrera opened the scoring in the 28th minute for the visitors.
The Swans did not contain a ton of possession in the second half, but they took advantage of the one great scoring opportunity presented to them on Gomis' 73rd-minute winner.
Here's a look at the winners and losers from Swansea's triumph over the fourth-place side in the English Premier League.
Winner: Jonjo Shelvey
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Jonjo Shelvey played a crucial role in setting up both Swansea goals in the historic victory over Manchester United.
In the 30th minute, the midfielder played a splendid ball in from the left wing to Ki Sung-yueng, who beat United 'keeper David de Gea with ease.
On the game-winning goal, Shelvey unleashed a rocket from distance that took a deflection off the head of Gomis.
Although he may be a bit disappointed not to get the goal himself, Shelvey should be delighted that he played such a major role in two crucial goals netted by the Swans.
Thanks to his contributions, the Swans lifted themselves closer to eighth place, as they now sit one point behind West Ham United.
Shelvey later said of Gomis' goal, via Fox Soccer Trax: "De Gea is world-class and would have saved my shot."
Loser: Angel Di Maria
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Despite contributing plenty of effort to the United cause, Angel Di Maria came up short in his attempt to create a second goal for the Red Devils at the Liberty Stadium.
Throughout his 78 minutes on the pitch, the Argentinian sent in a large number of crosses from the left wing. But very few of his passes actually threatened the Swansea back four in the penalty area.
Di Maria was also wasteful on the corner kicks he took, as most of them flew into the arms of Swansea 'keeper Lukasz Fabianski or were cleared away with ease by the Swans defense.
The 27-year-old ended the match with 13 crosses, four of which were accurate, and a pass accuracy of 78.6 percent. The accuracy rate was the lowest of any United field player other than Paddy McNair, who was taken off at the half.
Because of the reliance on Di Maria, United failed to get an attack going through the right wing, which eventually cost them due to the Argentinian's inefficiency.
"It's very disappointing. We created a lot of chances, we dominated," United boss Louis van Gaal said after the match, per the club's official Twitter account.
Winner: Ander Herrera
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Before the United collapse, Herrera played a key role in two events in the first half.
In the fifth minute, Herrera made a terrific clearance off the line after Gomis sent in a powerful header off a corner kick.
Twenty-three minutes after his defensive involvement, the Spaniard scored the lone United goal of the match on a shot from the right side of the box.
Although he wasn't as active on the ball as a player like Di Maria, Herrera displayed his worth on both sides of the pitch.
Due to his play at the Liberty Stadium, Herrera should earn another place in Van Gaal's starting 11 for the home match against Sunderland next week.
Loser: Marouane Fellaini
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Marouane Fellaini did make a consistent impact on the match but not in the way United would have hoped he would.
The towering Belgian committed six fouls in his 90 minutes on the pitch, which helped him earn a spot in the referee's book right before half-time.
The persistent infringement from the midfielder did not cost United in regard to a Swansea scoring opportunity, but it did show that he can't be trusted 100 percent in the middle of the park.
Luckily for Fellaini, he was not sent off at some point due to the leniency of the referee, but that may not be the same result in other matches.
If he wants to keep a spot in the starting 11 for a long spell of time, Fellaini must prove to Van Gaal that he is much more than a foul machine.
Winner: Lukasz Fabianski
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With United pummeling crosses and shots into the penalty area in search of a second strike, Fabianski stood strong in between the pipes for Swansea.
The former Arsenal man was credited with only two saves, but if you dig a bit deeper, he played a massive role in earning three points in front of the home crowd.
Fabianski ended plenty of attacking moves that United started thanks to his sturdy hands and catching ability. If he had let one or two of his catches go at the wrong time, the Red Devils may have marched back to Manchester with a victory.
By preventing second-chance opportunities and instilling confidence in his back four, Fabianski also set the tone for the rest of the season as the Swans look to remain in the top half of the table.
Winner: Garry Monk
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Regardless of what results the Swans earn over the last few months of the campaign, Garry Monk and Co. will be remembered for earning the club's first ever league double over Manchester United.
Monk's Swans took advantage of United's adjustment period to Van Gaal's managerial style in August by winning 2-1 at Old Trafford.
Swansea proved those three points were not a fluke by holding strong and capitalizing on their attacking opportunities at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The win was just the second in eight league matches for a Swansea side that sold its best player, Wilfried Bony, to Manchester City during the January transfer window.
Now that the doubters over the forward's sale have been silenced for the most part due to the win over United, Monk can focus on leading his side to a high finish in the league table.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
All statistics obtained from WhoScored.com.
