A match full of surprises...

[YorkshirePudding 0]

1. The first clean sheet

It was evident soon into the first half performance that Neil wanted to limit the Swans any space in our half and it worked as they couldn''t exploit their passing game and their pace on the wings. And it definitely worked. Bennett and Bassong seem to be forming a good defensive partnership, with Bennett''s distribution being a particular highlight in the second half.

2. Howson''s performance

He seemed much more into it this week, getting stuck in to the challenges much more and limiting Montero down the left (along with the superb Wisdom) whilst offering an attacking threat with much better passing today

3. Hoolahan''s performance

He received the ball in good positions but couldn''t deliver any final product, had a good shot in the second half but ultimately very disappointing

4. O''neil''s selection

This was the biggest surprise for me at 2pm, as I thought Mulumbu was a shoe-in. However I then remembered Gary''s terrific attitude when he does feature so I decided to give him a chance in my mind. He didn''t disappoint at all, using all of his experience to press at the right times, play the right passes and position himself correctly. He was key, along with Tettey in keeping Swansea from creating any clear openings.

Also, a special mention for Mbokani who seems to be fully adapting to the English game with a brilliant contribution.

[Thirsty Lizard 3,215]

Good points Yorkshire.

A couple more to add:

1. We scored from a corner. And none of our corners were cleared by the first man.

2. Tetty didn''t get booked.

[YorkshirePudding 0]

Also very true Lizard!

[Barclay seats 4849 the 3rd 0]

Mental .... Hoolahan was terrific today ,, controlled midfield . You ought to try to get to a game you f*ck wit

[YorkshirePudding 0]

Really? How did he control the midfield? He misplaced so many passes in the final third and gave the ball away too easily.

Also, even if I couldn''t attend the game today for whatever reasons, how would that affect my judgement of the game if I still saw it on a stream? Exactly.

[firststeps 0]

Whooooah... Hoolahans desire was its usual 100%, but his performance today was below par, his passes went astray on too many occasions. I can say that... because I''m season ticket ticket holder and have attended games for the past 30 years.

[ron obvious 1,711]

It was amazing the way Wes improved after the goal; prior to that, he''d been misplacing passes left right & centre (although he was his usual energetic self), but suddenly everything clicked & the wonderful little triangles started to flow.

Let''s hope we can kick on from here!

[Six Pack 105]

Hoolahan was wayward with his passes early in the game but had only one player in front of him to pass to. Playing only 4 on attack and with usually Howson & Brady behind him - he was always trying to create an angle for Jerome who was heavily marked. Due to the defensive formation and Swansea''s lack of directness, the ball was passed patiently by both teams. This changed the game into an absorbing game of chess & with Hoolahan in our team I knew we were going to win. Hoolahan just has that extra bit of quality that I didn''t see in Swansea. After the average 1st half, as Barclay seats 48/49 says he (Hoolahan) was pivotal & started to build our attacks and controlled the midfield when we had the ball. Our passing was much more effective & threatening and in my mind there was only going to be one winner. Mbokani''s introduction was obviously a big factor also.

We won with about 30% possession, this is similar to the 10 game unbeaten run back in 2011/12 where Hughton would employ similar defensive formations with just 4 players (Hoolahan, Holt, Pilkington & Bennett/Snodgrass) in attack. It showed me that even with limited opportunities, we can still win as long as Hoolahan is on the pitch. He can create a piece of magic from seemingly nothing.

[Herman 11,135]

[quote user="Barclay seats 4849 the 3rd"]Mental .... Hoolahan was terrific today ,, controlled midfield . You ought to try to get to a game you f*ck wit[/quote]Try watching the game. Even Hooli was getting frustrated with his own wayward passing.

[Branston Pickle 4,144]

Wes was his usual self - a bit hit and miss, with perhaps more miss than hit yesterday

[Barclay seats 4849 the 3rd 0]

I think that you should watch the game Herman ,,, even during the dire first half ,, he chased and harried everything ,, when no other player looked like they could be bothered ,,, but I guess you couldn''t see that on your lap top ?

[Herman 11,135]

Yes, I had a great view thanks. Yes he chased and harried but as everyone could see,except you for some reason, was that his final balls were erratic at best.

[Phillip J Fry 0]

[quote user="YorkshirePudding"]1. The first clean sheet

It was evident soon into the first half performance that Neil wanted to limit the Swans any space in our half and it worked as they couldn''t exploit their passing game and their pace on the wings. And it definitely worked. Bennett and Bassong seem to be forming a good defensive partnership, with Bennett''s distribution being a particular highlight in the second half.[/quote]

To be fair, Bennett didn''t actually have to do too much defending. Bassong essentially man marked Gomis and O''Neil and Tettey were so good at screening the back four that Swansea never looked threatening. Bennett was essentially a free man, didn''t have to worry about people bypassing the midfield, didn''t have to worry about the striker.

He was far more impressive in the WBA game, easily the best Norwich defender on the pitch

[morty 0]

[quote user="Herman "][quote user="Barclay seats 4849 the 3rd"]Mental .... Hoolahan was terrific today ,, controlled midfield . You ought to try to get to a game you f*ck wit[/quote]Try watching the game. Even Hooli was getting frustrated with his own wayward passing.[/quote]Agree with this.Not his best game, but possibly something to do with the slightly flat set up. Which was entirely unnecessary, but awful to watch.