Swansea vs. Liverpool: Score, Reaction from 2016 Premier League Match

A much-changed Liverpool side turned in a fractured performance on Sunday, beaten 3-1 by Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium in the Premier League. 

Andre Ayew put the hosts in front early in the game when he lost his marker at a corner, before Jack Cork doubled the advantage with a sublime curling effort.

Substitute Christian Benteke got Liverpool back in it in the second half from a Sheyi Ojo corner, although his goal was quickly cancelled out by Ayew's second of the day. Brad Smith was sent off late on a miserable day for the Reds.

Before the game both sets of players and fans paid tribute to the 96 Liverpool fans who died as a result of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, with a verdict on Wednesday revealing the supporters were unlawfully killed and not to blame for the crush.

Here’s the moment the two captains laid a wreath in front of the Liverpool supporters, per BT Sport:

Reds manager Jurgen Klopp clearly had Thursday’s UEFA Europa League tie with Villarreal in mind when naming his starting XI for this one, with eight changes made. And the visitors struggled for rhythm in the early stages.

The lack of cohesion in their play was summed up in the 20th minute, as Ayew rose home unchallenged to head past goalkeeper Danny Ward from a corner. Liverpool’s marking was practically non-existent.

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OptaJoe noted this was the 10th time this season the Reds have conceded from a set piece, with only their opponents letting in more from dead-ball situations. As the Swansea Twitter feed added, the goal capped off what had been a memorable week for the Ghanaian:

It was also a goal that emboldened the Welsh outfit, who had the upper hand in midfield against Reds youngsters Kevin Stewart and Pedro Chirivella. And it was a chasm in front of the back four that gave Cork the time and space to make it 2-0.

In fairness to the Swans man, it was a pinpoint curling finish from the edge of the penalty area to beat Ward. Bleacher Report’s Jack Lusby was far from impressed with the defending on display, though:

Aside from a couple of flashes from Daniel Sturridge, the Reds response was minimal, and at half-time Klopp’s men trudged off with a mountain to climb in the contest.

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Benteke and Lucas Leiva were introduced for Liverpool at the interval, as the manager sought to trigger some kind of response.

With Benteke and Sturridge up front flanked by Sheyi Ojo and Jordon Ibe, it was clear the visitors were looking to get crosses into the box more frequently. And there was a renewed purpose about the men in red in the second period, although as the match moved past the hour-mark they hadn't tested Lukasz Fabianski. 

Benteke did in the 65th minute, though, as the Belgian rose highest to head in from a corner, restoring hope back into the travelling Kop that something could be salvaged from the clash. Despite his troubles this term, the Belgium international is a persistent threat in the air, per WhoScored.com:

However, Swansea restored their two-goal cushion within a couple of minutes. And it was Ayew again capitalising on some bad defending—Lucas lost possession, then his tea-mates missed multiple chances to clear the ball—stroking a calm finish past Ward with his left foot.

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The third Swans goal seemed to sap the impetus out of the away side, and their difficult task was made even harder late on as youngster Smith, booked in the first period, was cautioned again in the 76th minute and given his marching orders.

It was a dismissal that effectively ended the contest and allowed Swansea to keep the ball with ease in the latter stages before the final whistle. The victory moves Francesco Guidolin's side up into 13th, while Liverpool remain in seventh.

As we can see here, three goals in a game has been a long time coming for this talented Swansea side this term:

While Klopp will be disappointed none of the fringe players involved here made a case for being involved on Thursday, it’s evident Liverpool’s season hinges on the Europa League semi-final clash with Villarreal. As such, don’t expect the Reds supporters to be disheartened by this performance, in which plenty of young players gained more valuable experience.

Post-match Reaction

Afterwards a delighted Ayew dedicated his brace to the club's former manager, Garry Monk:

Klopp was not in the mood to make any excuses for the team's poor display, per the Liverpool Twitter feed: