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Live Commentary: Swansea City 1-1 West Ham United - as it happened

Sports Mole brings you live text commentary of the Premier League match between Swansea City and West Ham United at the Liberty Stadium.
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Swansea City came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against West Ham United in their Premier League match this afternoon.

Andy Carroll gave the Hammers the lead in the first half with a curling effort that found the top corner.

However, the Swans salvaged a point when a header from Bafetimbi Gomis was turned into his own net by Mark Noble.

Find out how the action unfolded below.


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Good afternoon everyone! Following last weekend's FA Cup action, the Premier League returns with a bumper schedule today. Here, we will be focusing on the events taking place at the Liberty Stadium, as two teams who have experienced mixed fortunes in recent weeks go head to head.

Last weekend, Swansea bounced back from a couple of winless games in the league to thrash Tranmere Rovers 6-2 in the FA Cup. That should give them a boost in confidence and they will surely be looking for all three points in their first home match of 2015.

It proved to be a much more frustrating game in the cup for West Ham. The Hammers were 1-0 up and heading for a victory against Everton, until Romelu Lukaku struck in stoppage time for the Toffees. It has extended their winless run to four games and their European aspirations are in serious danger of being derailed.



I think it's about time we check out the team news and see which players have made the starting lineups, beginning with the Swans.

SWANSEA XI: Fabianski, Rangel, Fernandez, Williams, Taylor, Britton, Carroll, Dyer, Sigurdsson, Routledge, Gomis

WEST HAM XI: Adrian, Jenkinson, Tomkins, Reid, Collins, Cresswell, Noble, Nolan, Downing, Carroll, Valencia

SWANSEA SUBS: Tremmel, Tiendalli, Bartley, Fulton, Emnes, Barrow, Oliveira

WEST HAM SUBS: Jaaskelainen, O'Brien, Poyet, Amalfitano, Jarvis, Vaz Te, Cole

So, that's how each team will start the afternoon. There are wholesale changes for Swansea, who have made no less than eight alterations to the team that played against Tranmere. Bafetimbi Gomis leads the line and will be hoping to add to his two goals last week. Nathan Dyer, Wayne Routledge and Gylfi Sigurdsson will provide the support in the attack.

As for West Ham, they have made just one change from the team that were held at Goodison Park. Andy Carroll returns to partner Enner Valencia up front, but there is no place for Alex Song, who is ruled out through illness. The Hammers will also be without their manager today, as Sam Allardyce has a chest infection.

Let's continue our build up to today's match by taking a closer look at each team. Swansea may have recorded a big win last weekend, but their form has been patchy to say the least over recent weeks. They have lost three of the last six in the league and were moments away from losing on New Year's Day, until Wilfried Bony scored late on to salvage a 1-1 draw at Queens Park Rangers.



Speaking of Bony, the Ivorian is currently away on international duty with his country at the Africa Cup of Nations, but he may have made his last appearance for the Swans. Talks are ongoing between his club and Manchester City over a transfer and his loss will be keenly felt.

Bony is not the only player missing today, as Ki Sung-yueng is also away with his country at the Asia Cup. To add to their woes, Jefferson Montero is still out with a hamstring injury, while Jonjo Shelvey continues to serve a ban for his elbow on Emre Can in the club's 4-1 defeat against Liverpool.

It's certainly not doom and gloom for the Swans and they could well finish in a European spot. They are currently ninth in the table on 29 points and could draw level with West Ham if they beat their opponents today.

Moving on to the Hammers and it has been a difficult couple of weeks for Sam Allardyce's men. Two defeats and a draw from their festive games has seen them take a tumble down the league table, while they allowed victory to slip from their grasp right at the death in their FA Cup match against Everton on Tuesday.

Their poor run has been in contrast to their form in the early weeks of the season. Many were talking about the Londoners as possible Champions League contenders, but they are now down to seventh in the table. They are still just four points behind fourth-placed Southampton and a win today could ignite their European aspirations.



One thing that has hampered their progress in recent weeks is a lack of goals from their front men. Diafra Sakho had been in explosive form since his arrival, but he is out with a back injury. The Senegal international would have missed most of this month at the Africa Cup of Nations anyway. Fellow summer signing Enner Valencia has had a torrid time over the last couple of months and it has been 12 games since he last found the net.

Although they have not been at their best, West Ham will be boosted by their victory against the Swans the last time these teams met. That came a month ago at Upton Park, where a double from Andy Carroll and a strike from Diafra Sakho saw them come from behind to earn a 3-1 win.

That defeat continued a recent trend for the Hammers, who have won three of their last four games against the Swans. In fact, they have won six and only lost one of the nine previous meetings between the two teams, with Swansea's sole victory a 3-0 win at the Liberty in August 2012.

PREDICTION: I think we will be in for some goals this afternoon, if the last encounter between the sides is anything to go by. Both teams are in a bit of a poor run and a win today would really help to reignite their seasons. I just feel that the Swans have a little more firepower at their disposal and I am going to tip them to claim the points with a 2-1 win today.

With less than 10 minutes to go until kick off make sure you check out our video preview of the match, with the guys on the SM Sofa.




Here come the two teams out of the tunnel and we are now just a couple of minutes away from kick off. You can also keep up to date with the rest of the Premier League action this afternoon, with live commentaries from every match across the country.

KICKOFF! We are underway at the Liberty Stadium!

The Swans have started the game on the front foot and they are getting into some very good positions early on. They come close to an opener when Dyer whips a dangerous delivery right across the box, but it is just in front of Gomis who can't quite stretch enough to get his head on the ball.

We're still waiting for either keeper to make a save and the Swans have another good chance to threaten with a free kick around 25 yards out from goal. Sigurdsson steps up to take it, but it is a poor strike, that ends up crashing straight into the wall.

The Hammers are starting to see much more of the ball in their opponents' half, but as yet they haven't been able to get in behind the defence. They will surely be looking to use the height and power of Carroll to their advantage this afternoon, as the striker gave Swansea a torrid time when they last met.

Even at this early stage in the game, it is starting to boil over a little and the referee has allowed a couple of poor challenges to go. On this latest occasion Noble rather cynically hacks down Dyer on the halfway line, but he is just given a warning.

Adrian is called into making his first save of the afternoon as Bony lets fly from outside the box. The striker hit it well enough, but it was straight at the keeper who easily holds on.

This game really has failed to spark into life so far and there has been very little to get excited about. At the moment the defences are coming out on top and there is a real lack of creativity in each team's attack.

An opening goal doesn't seem too close to happening, but at least West Ham have had their first shot of the match. It's Jenkinson who receives the ball just outside the box, before shifting it onto his left foot and firing in an effort that goes well over the bar.

SHOT! This is much better from West Ham. A good team move ends up with Carroll laying the ball off for Nolan to strike from 25 yards. The midfielder fires in a decent looking effort, but it ends up dipping just over the top.

The visitors are well on top at the moment and they are controlling the tempo of the match. They are seeing all of the ball and getting some dangerous crosses into the box, with Swansea struggling to get out of their own half.

It's still all West Ham and the hosts are finding it difficult to string a number of passes together. The fans inside the ground seem frustrated by their teams display as they just have not got going yet.

Swansea must wish that they had Bony playing, as Gomis blows a decent chance to trouble the visitors. He is found by Routledge in the box, but after cutting inside and looking to get the ball on his right foot, he is easily dispossessed by Tomkins.

Over the past few minutes Swansea have started to show signs of life and are now dominating the possession. For the first time they are putting the West Ham defence under some pressure and look capable of grabbing a goal before the break.

SHOT! This is more like it from the Swans. Dyer is getting into some promising areas and he is slipped in behind down the right. He then looks up and spots Sigurdsson in the box, but the midfielder places his low effort straight into the keeper's gloves.

GOAL! Swansea City 0-1 West Ham United (Andy Carroll)

The Swans must be sick of the sight of Carroll, as the striker makes it three goals in two games against the club. He controls a cross from Downing on his chest, before working some room inside the box and curling a brilliant strike into the top corner.

CHANCE! Within moments of taking the lead, the Swans really should be level. Routledge comes close when he is slipped in by Rangel, but sees his effort from point-blank range blocked behind by Jenkinson. Then, from the resulting corner, Gomis meets Sigurdsson's cross, but sees his header deflect wide of the far post.

HALF-TIME: Swansea City 0-1 West Ham United

The first half comes to an end and it's West Ham who lead thanks to a moment of inspiration from Andy Carroll. A superb goal from the forward has lit up a rather dull encounter and it has set the match up perfectly for the remaining 45 minutes.

According to the statistics, Swansea have been been the more dominant side. They have had 59% of the possession and have managed 10 shots on goal, compared to just three from West Ham. That all matters very little, as it is West Ham who are ahead.





So, what can Swansea do to get back into this match? They are looking quite blunt in the final third and Bafetimbi Gomis just does not have the same goal threat as Wilfried Bony. We may see Portuguese international Nelson Oliveira in the second half, as he is on the bench after joining on loan from Benfica.

Swansea take the kick off and get the second half started.

CHANCE! Swansea almost level the scores within a minute of the restart. They work the ball to Gomis on the edge of the box and he lays the ball off to Sigurdsson. The midfielder then looks to bend a strike into the far corner, but it heads agonizingly wide of the post.

Since the beginning of the half, Sigurdsson has started to have much more of an impact. He is getting into some great positions and the Hammers aren't picking up on any of his runs. If they are to get back in the match, then you suspect he will be heavily involved.

CHANCE! Swansea may have made a decent start to the half, but they almost find themselves 2-0 down here. Carroll is the man who threatens to score again as he arrives to meet Jenkinson's low ball at the front post, but he can only poke his effort wide.

CHANCE! West Ham will be kicking themselves if they don't win today as they have another great chance to score. It comes from a corner and Downing's cross is met by a towering header from Collins, but the defender sees his effort drop inches wide of the far post.

It would be no surprise to see a change from Garry Monk in the next few minutes, as his team are in desperate need of some inspiration. Things have just gone a bit flat and they are in danger of letting this match just slip away from them.

SUBSTITUTIONS: Well, the Swans have now switched things around and it's a double change. Emnes and Barrow are the players who come on, with Dyer and Routledge heading off.

CHANCE! The substitutes make an immediate impact from Swansea and they should be level. Gomis exchanges passes with Emnes on the edge of the box and is then slipped through on goal, but with just Adrian to beat, he blazes high over the bar.

At the moment it seems that West Ham are keen to just sit back and try and defend their lead. It has seen them pushed further and further back and they are coming under some real pressure.

This would have been a very special goal had Valencia managed to find the net. The striker breaks from his own half and charges past a number of challenges from the hosts. He gets all the way to the edge of the box before firing in a strike that is blocked before it can test Fabianksi.

SUBSTITUTION: That was Valencia's last piece of action today, as he is replaced by Amalfitano.

GOAL! Swansea City 1-1 West Ham United (Mark Noble own goal)

Gomis has barely posed a threat all afternoon, but he is the man behind the goal here. He rises highest to meet Sigurdsson's corner and powers in a header that comes off the post, before hitting Noble on its way into the net. He will try to claim it, but I think that will go down as an own goal from the West Ham midfielder.

SUBSTITUTION: The Swans make their final change, with Oliveira replacing Sigurdsson.

Swansea are now looking the more likely team to find a winner and the crowd are getting fully behind them. West Ham seemed very comfortable to try and soak up the pressure for the rest of the game, but it will be hard for them now to hang on to a point.

SUBSTITUTION: West Ham make their second change of the match, with Poyet coming on for Nolan.

SAVE The Hammers have not posed too much threat in the past few minutes, but after a good spell Downing bends in a powerful strike from the edge of the box that is tipped behind by Fabianksi.

SAVE! Fabianksi is called into action for the second time in under a minute. A corner is cleared to Jenkinson, who is not closed down and has time to measure a shot. He then fires in a decent effort, but the keeper gets everything behind the ball to push it wide.

OFF THE LINE! Yet again West Ham have another huge chance to take the lead. Tomkins is the man who comes close when he meets Amalfitano's corner, but his header is cleared off the line by Taylor.

CHANCE! Fabianksi may have made a couple of good saves for Swansea in the past few minutes, but he makes a big mistake here. He should deal with a low free kick from Amalfitano, but he allows the ball to slip from his grasp. Carroll then follows the ball up, but the angle is tight for the striker who places his effort across goal and wide of the target.

We are going to have four minutes of stoppage time.

YELLOW CARD! It's taken until stoppage time, but we have seen our first booking of the match. Substitute Poyet is the man who picks up the card for a foul on Barrow.

FULL-TIME: Swansea City 1-1 West Ham United

It's all over at the Liberty Stadium and it has finished in a 1-1 between Swansea and West Ham. It's hard to tell which side will be happier with the result, but anyone could have won it in the final minutes.

I'm afraid that's all we've got time for today. Please stay with us for the rest of the weekend, as we have plenty more live coverage to come. Until next time, goodbye!

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Bafetimbi Gomis of Swansea City during the Barclays Premier League match between Swansea City and West Bromwich Albion at Liberty Stadium on August 30, 2014
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Preview: Swansea vs. West Ham
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