- English Barclays Premier League
- 28 April 2012, 3:00pm
- Liberty Stadium
- Attendance: 19,408
Swansea | v | Wolves |
4
| 4
|
live commentary
90 mins:FULL TIME: SWANSEA 4-4 WOLVES. An unbelievable afternoon comes to a close as the referee blows his whistle for the last time. Wolves have fought back superbly from 4-1 down to take a point from Swansea.
90 mins:We will have four minutes of added time here.
88 mins:We are into the final few minutes now and it seems that the scoring may well be done for the day as the chances finally dry up.
85 mins:Great chance! Michael Kightly has the chance to win the game for Wolves as Ebanks-Blake's lay-off falls invitingly for him but he bends it a mile over the bar.
82 mins:Swansea make a change as Danny Graham makes way for Luke Moore.
81 mins:Wolves have done a superb job of denying Swansea time and space on the ball since falling 4-1 behind and the fightback has been superb.
79 mins:Just over ten minutes to go now at the Liberty Stadium and Swansea can't seem to get the ball forward at the moment.
76 mins:A second change for Wolves now with Steven Fletcher replaced by Sylvan Ebanks-Blake.
74 mins:A change for Wolves now with Jarvis replaced by Stephen Hunt.
73 mins:The Wolves fans must be incredibly frustrated at the way their side have managed to produce this fightback this afternoon having been so poor in recent months.
71 mins:Brendan Rogers will be incredibly annoyed with his side who have let Wolves back into the game and the visitors would now be favourites to win it now.
69 mins:GOAL: SWANSEA 4-4 WOLVES. What a comeback! Fletcher chips a lovely ball across the box and MATT JARVIS times his run perfectly as he meets it with a sidefoot volley that finds the corner.
66 mins:Karl Henry launches into a typically robust challenge and is perhaps lucky to avoid a caution as he catches Dyer late.
63 mins:Believe it or not, we are experiencing a bit of a lull in this game now. Swansea have tightened up in midfield and Wolves are struggling to get the ball.
60 mins:We have reached the hour mark and it's fair to say that we have got a game on our hands in this last half an hour.
58 mins:Stephen Ward is the first man into the book.
57 mins:Nearly 4-4! Jarvis drives to the byline and cuts it across the box but Monk just about manages to smuggle the ball back to Vorm with Fletcher in close attendance.
54 mins:GOAL: SWANSEA 4-3 WOLVES. Goal of the game! A superb team move from Wolves ends with DAVID EDWARDS striding into the box to slide the ball home from ten yards out.
51 mins:A superb clearance from Caulker denies Fletcher as the striker looked to get to Kightly's cross.
49 mins:And this time Sigurdsson lines one up from the edge of the box that forces a superb stop from De Vries.
47 mins:Off the post! Scott Sinclair steps inside his man and smashes a low shot that cannons back off the post.
46 mins:The second half is underway.
45 mins:A change for Swansea at the break with Orlandi replaced by Taylor.
45 mins:HALF TIME: WOLVES 4-2 SWANSEA. This is definitely a game for the attackers as defending goes out of the window. Nobody expected six goals from the first half of this game that's for sure but that's what we've had.
44 mins:And now Monk's backpass is intercepted by Doyle who rounds Vorm but Swansea manage to crowd him out before he can get the shot off.
43 mins:Now Stephen Ward hits one from 25 yards that Vorm has to parry and is relieved to see it miss the onrushing Doyle and Fletcher.
41 mins:Wolves almost make it 4-3 as Jarvis beats his marker and flashes a shot just wide of the near post.
39 mins:Every shot seems to be bringing a goal for both sides as this game, unbelievably, becomes a real belter. A nice surprise because many expected this to be a bit of a dead rubber.
36 mins:The home fans can't believe their eyes. There haven't been many goals here all season and suddenly they see six in just over half an hour.
33 mins:GOAL: SWANSEA 4-2 WOLVES. What is going on?! MATT JARVIS collects the ball on the left hand side before cutting in and firing a superb shot into the far corner of the net that leaves Vorm stranded.
31 mins:GOAL: SWANSEA 4-1 WOLVES. Swansea quickly re-establish their three goal lead as Dyer's chipped cross finds an unmarked Graham at the far post who finishes simply.
30 mins:That goal should give this Wolves side some much needed encouragement. Swansea were guilty of complacency in the build up to that goal.
27 mins:GOAL: SWANSEA 3-1 WOLVES. It's Swansea's turn to defend like statues as FLETCHER is allowed to meet a cross unmarked and loop a header beyond Vorm.
24 mins:Swansea are keeping the ball in their trademark fashion at the moment and Wolves are being made to chase it.
21 mins:When teams get relegated they tend to come out for the rest of the season and show some sort of fight, as if to prove a point. At the moment Wolves look like they are going to sulk their way out of the Premier League.
18 mins:It should be 4-0! Sigurdsson weaves his wand again to slide Graham in behind but the striker fires straight at De Vries with half the goal gaping.
17 mins:This is going to be a cricket score if Wolves don't spark into life very soon. To be blunt, this group of players are embarrassing their club today.
15 mins:GOAL: SWANSEA 3-0 WOLVES. Wolves are in disarray! NATHAN DYER arrivea at the far post to nod beyond De Vries after Orlandi beats three defenders with no sign of a challenge.
12 mins:A good run and cross from Kightly puts Swansea on the back foot now as Wolves win their first corner.
9 mins:Caulker's long ball catches Wolves short on their right but it's just too long for Sinclair who would have been in on goal.
7 mins:The home fans can't believe what's going on here as their side make a blistering start and Wolves are, once again, shellshocked.
4 mins:GOAL: SWANSEA 2-0 WOLVES. What was that about Swansea not scoring enough goals? Sigurdsson slips a delightful ball through and JOE ALLEN races away to slide it beyond De Vries.
3 mins:What a start that is for Swansea who have been accused of not scoring enough goals at times this season, but you have to feel for Terry Connor.
1 mins:GOAL: SWANSEA 1-0 WOLVES. It gets worse for Wolves! With just 20 seconds on the clock ANDREA ORLANDI rises unmarked to flick home Sinclair's cross and Swansea lead.
1 mins:We are underway in South Wales.
The players have emerged from the tunnel as the final preparations before kick off get underway.
Wolverhampton: De Vries, Ward, Berra, Stearman, Foley, Jarvis, Edwards, Henry, Kightly, Doyle, Fletcher.
Swansea: Vorm, Williams, Caulker, Monk, Orlandi, Britton, Allen, Dyer, Sinclair, Sigurdsson, Graham.
Wolves were finally relegated last weekend after a torrid run of results that has seen them freefall into the Championship for next season.
Swansea secured their Premier League survival weeks ago having impressed everyone with their style of football and Brendan Rogers' side have been a pleasure to watch.
Welcome to the Liberty Stadium as Swansea meet relegated Wolves in South Wales.
- English Barclays Premier League
- 28 April 2012, 3:00pm
- Liberty Stadium
- Attendance: 19,408
| Swansea | v | Wolves |
4
| 4
|
match report
Relegated Wolves produced an astonishing recovery from 3-0 and 4-1 down to claim an unlikely 4-4 draw at Swansea in the Premier League.
Things looked grim for Terry Connor's side as Andrea Orlandi struck in the first minute before Joe Allen and Nathan Dyer extended Swansea's lead before the 15-minute mark.
But the visitors rallied as Steven Fletcher and Matt Jarvis pulled goals back either side of Danny Graham scoring Swansea's fourth, before second-half strikes from David Edwards and the outstanding Jarvis capped a breathless contest and secured a point.
The draw secured Swansea's Premier League status, but manager Brendan Rodgers will not have been impressed with the way his side squandered the advantage they built during an opening where Wolves' season looked set to hit a new low.
And the watching Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson would hardly have seen anything to suggest Swansea will pose his side a threat at Old Trafford next weekend such was their defensive capitulation.
But anything other than a comfortable home win seemed unlikely when Wolves keeper Dorus de Vries, back at his former club, had to pick the ball out of his net twice in the opening four minutes.
Steven Caulker and Leon Britton built the play from the back for the hosts and Scott Sinclair's cross located Orlandi in acres of space for the Spaniard to find the net as his header looped over the keeper after just 25 seconds.
The hosts then doubled the lead with less than four minutes on the clock as Wolves were torn apart.
Graham and Gylfi Sigurdsson linked well to free Allen and the midfielder's shot took a deflection off Richard Stearman to leave De Vries with no chance.
Wolves had been carved open with worrying ease for the opening two goals and things rapidly got worse for Connor's side as a third arrived in the 15th minute.
Orlandi tricked his way between Kevin Foley and Michael Kightly and his deflected ball across the box was headed in at the far post by Dyer.
Graham could have made it 4-0 moments later, but he hesitated and De Vries foiled his effort to slot home from an acute angle.
Wolves managed to get a goal back when Kevin Doyle found space down the left and delivered a pinpoint cross for Fletcher to direct a free header over Michel Vorm.
But that only proved brief respite as Swansea replied with their fourth on the half hour.
Dyer was afforded far too much freedom on the right to surge into the box, and when his shot rebounded back to him, he lofted a lovely ball for Graham to coolly slot his 13th goal of the season.
The comical standard of defending continued as another Doyle cross came through to Jarvis, who cut inside Caulker to place a finish beyond Vorm three minutes later, Ashley Williams making a hash of his attempted goal-line clearance.
The lively winger could have had another soon after, but an excellent tackle from the covering Garry Monk denied him as he was about to pull the trigger.
Having been overrun towards the end of the opening half, Rodgers elected to bring on Neil Taylor for Orlandi to revert to a four-man defence.
But the relentless action continued as Sigurdsson first smashed a half volley against the foot of the post, before unleashing a left-footed strike that De Vries tipped behind for a corner.
But it was Wolves who found the net next as they sensed an extraordinary turnaround was on the cards.
Kightly's neat pass picked out the run of Edwards and the midfielder held off Monk's attentions to steer the ball past Vorm.
Fletcher then failed to get telling contact on a deep cross from Foley with the visitors fully in control and pressing for an equaliser.
And it duly arrived in the 69th minute as Fletcher's first-time ball across the six-yard box was slid home by Jarvis for the winger's second of the game.
All the momentum was with Wolves and Kightly should have given Connor a first win in his 11th game in charge, but blazed high and wide.
At the other end De Vries did enough to deny substitute Luke Moore, while referee Jon Moss waved away handball appeals against Stearman in a breathless, frantic finale.
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