Swansea City boss Francesco Guidolin pleased with important win

Swansea City boss Francesco Guidolin has conceded that his team 'did not play well' against basement side Aston Villa on Saturday, but was pleased with the final result at the Liberty Stadium.

In a match of few chances, it was the hosts that recorded a 1-0 win courtesy of a second-half effort Federico Fernandez, which moved the Welsh outfit 11 points clear of the bottom three.

Guidolin has said that "the performance was not very good", but insisted that securing all the points against the strugglers showed 'a good attitude' from his players.

"We didn't play well, but we played with the attitude of a final. The performance was not very good, I know, but this is a match I was waiting for because I know the situation," he told reporters.

"The players played a nervous game, but what I liked this evening was the attitude. Often a final isn't a good game, but it's important to win.

"I asked them to play with focus, concentration and solidarity. We played nervously and Aston Villa played freely. But we got the goal and won the game, which is the important thing now."

Guidolin was back in the dugout for Swansea after missing their last three matches through illness.