Swansea City vs. Chelsea: Winners and Losers from Premier League
Swansea City earned their first-ever Premier League win over Chelsea on Saturday with a 1-0 victory at the Liberty Stadium, Wales.
Gylfi Sigurdsson notched the lone tally of the contest in the 25th minute after Chelsea center back Matt Miazga botched a clearance off a Jefferson Montero cross.
After scoring the opener, the Swans pushed for a second, but they could not get the job done in the final third. Luckily for the hosts, Chelsea failed to pose a consistent threat in the attacking half for most of the 90 minutes.
The win helped Swansea officially secure safety as they reached the 40-point threshold on Saturday. Chelsea's defeat was their first in league action since December 14 against Leicester City.
Here's a look at our winners and losers from Swansea's one-goal victory over Chelsea.
Winner: Jefferson Montero
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Jefferson Montero terrorized the Chelsea back four from the start of the match at the Liberty Stadium.
The 26-year-old Ecuadorian helped create the lone goal of the game in the 25th minute, as his cross went off Miazga's head before the ball fell to Sigurdsson.
Montero continued to torture the visiting defense with his skill and pace on the left wing before he left the pitch in the 84th minute.
The only blemish on Montero's perfect day came in the 76th minute, when he missed an open header off a Sigurdsson cross.
Loser: Matt Miazga
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A week after an impressive debut against Aston Villa, United States center back Matt Miazga was overwhelmed by the moment on a few occasions at the Liberty Stadium.
The former New York Red Bulls man started well with a nice sliding tackle in the eighth minute, but his play got worse as the first half went on.
The biggest error the January signing committed came in the 25th minute, when his poor clearance dropped straight to Gylfi Sigurdsson.
Due to his poor play in his own half over the first 45 minutes, Miazga was pulled for Kenedy at half-time, and Guus Hiddink shifted John Obi Mikel to center back for the second half.
Winner: Ashley Williams
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Swansea captain Ashley Williams found himself in all the right spots on Saturday as his side limited Chelsea's opportunities in the final third.
The best moment from the Welshman came in the 86th minute, when he tracked Bertrand Traore's pass to Radamel Falcao and took the sting out of the Colombian forward's shot.
The 31-year-old and his teammates in the back four held the Blues to two shots on target in the victory that helped them reach the 40-point mark.
Swansea's win on Saturday officially killed off the relegation concerns that have circled the club for the last few months.
Loser: Alexandre Pato
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Alexandre Pato's first start in a Chelsea shirt did not go as Hiddink and the Chelsea staff hoped it would.
The 26-year-old forward made just 16 touches over 63 minutes, per WhoScored.com, and he failed to challenge the Swans with his movement in the final third.
When he received an opportunity to level the contest in the 55th minute, Pato opted for flair instead of a simple finish a few feet away from the net.
The brutal performance by the Brazilian did not help his stock at the club, but luckily for him, no one else stood out at forward on Saturday.
Winner: Ruben Loftus-Cheek
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Ruben Loftus-Cheek was the lone bright spot in attack for Chelsea in a match that witnessed lackluster performances from both Pato and Pedro.
The 20-year-old midfielder found his way through the Swansea defensive setup on a few occasions on Saturday, but he received little to no support when he reached the penalty area.
Loftus-Cheek was on the wrong end of a baffling decision in the 75th minute, when Hiddink substituted him for Falcao.
Instead of providing his best attacker on the day with help, Hiddink removed him and took the creativity out of his front line.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
