Swansea City were denied a first win since August 30 by Christian Eriksen's free kick as they drew 2-2 with Tottenham Hotspur in a pulsating match at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday.
Spurs had not lost to the Swans since 1991 but that record looked in doubt when Andre Ayew headed the hosts in front after 16 minutes.
Eriksen levelled when he wrongfooted Lukasz Fabianski from a free kick, but the visitors went behind again minutes later in catastrophic fashion when Harry Kane sliced Jonjo Shelvey's corner into his own net.
However, Eriksen whipped in a second equaliser from another set piece to ensure that his side left with a share of the spoils and extended their unbeaten Premier League run to seven matches since the opening day.
Relive all the action from a pulsating match with Sports Mole's live coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of Swansea City vs. Tottenham Hotspur on this bumper day of Premier League football!
With these two sides separated by just four positions and three points in the Premier League table prior to kickoff, there is plenty at stake at the Liberty Stadium this afternoon.
With just under an hour until kickoff, and before the team news is in, let me just remind you that you can follow the final 15 minutes or so of the Merseyside derby here, with the score currently level at 1-1.
Speaking of team news, it has just landed...
SWANSEA CITY STARTING XI: Fabianski; Rangel, Fernandez, Williams, Taylor; Ki, Shelvey; Ayew, Sigurdsson, Montero; Gomis
SWANSEA CITY SUBS: Nordfeldt, Tabanou, Bartley, Cork, Barrow, Routledge, Eder
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STARTING XI: Lloris; Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies; Alli, Dier; Chadli, Eriksen, Lamela; Kane
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUBS: Vorm, Trippier, Wimmer, Carroll, Dembele, Townsend, Njie
So there we have it. The big news for Swansea fans is that Jefferson Montero is recalled to the starting lineup, with Jack Cork dropping to the bench. There is also a first start of the season at right-back for Angel Rangel as Kyle Naughton misses out on playing against his former club for personal reasons.
Gylfi Sigurdsson does play against his previous employers, however, in what looks likely to be a three-man attacking midfield behind top scorer Bafetimbi Gomis. The Iceland international scored 13 goals in 83 games for Spurs between 2012 and 2014.
For the visitors, there is no Son Heung-min after the striker was taken off early on against Manchester City with a foot injury, so Harry Kane leads the line fresh from scoring his first goal of the season in the 4-1 victory.
Danny Rose also misses out with a hand injury so Ben Davies returns to the left-back position ater Rose started the Europa League draw with Monaco on Thursday, while Ryan Mason misses out on a place in the squad altogether.
Montero's return to the Swansea team will give them an extra dimension in attack, with the Ecuadorian winger seemingly capable of hitting virtually the speed of sound when he bombs down the wing. For Monk's side, however, the real problems have been in attack.
It was a tremendous start to the season for the Swans, with a draw at Stamford Bridge (although, maybe that's not as impressive a result as it seemed on the opening day!) and a win over Manchester United at the Liberty Stadium among their two wins and two draws from their first four matches.
Since then, though, things have not gone right at all, with last weekend's 3-1 defeat at Southampton extending their winless run to four games in all competitions. Not only that, but Sigurdsson's consolation from the penalty spot when they were already 3-0 down at St. Mary's was their first goal since Gomis's winner over United on August 30.
That defeat was only the second time this season that the Welsh side had conceded more than once in a match, so if Monk can get Gomis and Andre Ayew firing again after a five-week drought then things will surely improve again.
Meanwhile, for Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham side the story is almost the complete opposite. After failing to win any of their first four, Spurs have recorded three victories in a row in the league, culminating in the stunning 4-1 second-half demolition of Manchester City last weekend.
A win could catapult the visitors into third in the table, depending on how their North London rivals Arsenal get on against Manchester United, and with just one goal conceded in their last four Premier League matches and Harry Kane ending his scoreless start to the season, things are looking much brighter at White Hart Lane.
AUDIO PREVIEW: With 25 minutes left until kickoff, why not listen to what Sports Mole's finest are predicting for the match?
That victory over Manchester City, despite the dubious nature of some of the offside calls, was a real statement of intent from Pochettino and his men, and Garry Monk praised the Argentine yesterday for the way in which he has solidified his side over the last few matches.
Here's some of Monk's thoughts on the man in the visiting dugout today: "He has tightened them up and made them a bit more solid and more aggressive.
"They have got really good players but there is more of a work ethic in the team now. Last year you could see that it was starting to progress and speaking to him, it was a process he was going through. This season I think that you have seen him progress it even more."
HEAD-TO-HEAD: A quick flick through the record between these two sides in recent years does not make pretty reading for Swansea fans whatsoever. In the eight meetings of the clubs so far since their promotion to the Premier League in 2011, they have never beaten today's opposition, with Spurs winning the last seven in a row.
In fact, the last time that Swansea came out on top against the Londoners was a 1-0 victory in the first leg of a League Cup (then titled the Rumbelows Cup, which is saying something) second round tie in 1991, althought Spurs won the second leg 5-1 at White Hart Lane a fortnight later. The last league victory was almost 33 years to the day exactly, on October 2, 1982.
Ahead of the international break, there is England interest in this game too. Harry Kane will obviously be the main focus, particularly if he can repeat his goalscoring display of last weekend, but Dele Alli also keeps his place in the Spurs side following his first senior call-up to the national side. Meanwhile, Swansea's Jonjo Shelvey was also named in Roy Hodgson's squad for the final Euro 2016 qualifiers against Estonia and Lithuania.
PREDICTION: Anyway, would you like to hear my thoughts on what might unfold at the Liberty this afternoon? Anyone? Well, here they are anyway. It'll be a tough ask for Swansea to get back to winning ways agains a Spurs side riding the crest of a wave, but I think that they'll be much improved today and so I'll go for a 2-2 draw, with both Gomis and Kane to find the net.
The teams are heading out onto the pitch on a drab day in South Wales, so stay tuned and hold onto your hats, we're minutes away.
Spurs will line up in their blue-and-a-bit-of-darker-blue away kit, with the Swans in their trademark white. I'm a fan of the gold trim this season by the way, very swish.
KICKOFF: We're underway!
Both teams have won and lost the ball in the opening minutes, and Swansea have claims for a free kick waved away after Gomis appeared to be tripped on the edge of the box. A tit-for-tat start.
Free kick to Spurs after Lukasz Fabianski comes racing out of his goal to try to beat Harry Kane to the ball, but ends up taking out the striker instead wide on the left. Kane is ok, and there's no further punishment for the goalkeeper.
Montero looking to stretch his legs early on after exhanging passes with Gomis, but the Frenchman's return pass is just too short and Eric Dier mops up. Moments later, Shelvey looks to play through Gomis with a cute pass with the outside of his foot, but it's cut out. It's been a rather cagey opening, with both teams looking to pass through the opposition in the early minutes.
CHANCE! The first opportunity for either side goes to the visitors, and perhaps Toby Alderweireld should do better when he heads a corner from the right over the bar. Just couldn't keep his effort down, but encouraging for Spurs.
Montero's battle with Kyle Walker down the left for Swansea is going to be a key one this afternoon, and the winger comes out on top here as the right-back has to pull him back to avoid being beaten for pace. An intriguing match-up, that one.
Tottenham are pressing so hard and it nearly pays dividends when Andre Ayew's ball back to Angel Rangel is a little weak, but the hosts manage to play themselves out of danger.
CHANCE! Gomis miscues his kick horribly in the middle of his own half but he is relieved to see Erik Lamela's weak effort from 25 yards held easily by Fabianski. That was a hairy moment for the striker, and something of a let-off for Garry Monk's side.
It's a slow burner so far, this, but you feel that either side could carve out a real chance at any moment. Just as I say that...
GOAL! SWANSEA CITY 1-0 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (ANDRE AYEW)
It's Swansea who take the lead and it's Andre Ayew back in the goals! Great work from Jefferson Montero as he turns back onto his right foot, taking Walker out of the game and crossing for Ayew to head past Lloris for his fourth goal of the season, and first since August.
I highlighted that battle between Montero and Walker and it was the Ecuadorian who won that one all ends up. He was in far too much space when he received the ball, and the Englishman knew he was in trouble immediately. Montero showed great composure to work himself room for a cross, and he's justifying his recall to Garry Monk's side so far.
Pochettino looks pensive in the Spurs dugout. His team responded in the best possible fashion to going behind at home to Man City last weekend, and they'll have to do it again here.
Lovely work from Dele Alli and Eriksen in the centre of midfield but they can't take advatnage and Swansea come back, sweeping the ball out wide to Montero as they are doing at every opportunity, but this time Walker holds firm to deny the winger a chance to cross. Corner to Swansea.
The corner is played into a dangerous area but nobody is in the right position to attack it, and it comes to nothing. It's been a decent midfield battle so far, but Swansea are looking content to sit back and look to counter.
CHANCE! Nacer Chadli does well down the left side for Spurs and gets a low effort in from a tight angle, but Fabianski is vigilant at his near post and palms the ball away. It wasn't the best of parries, knocked back out into the six-yard box, but Ashley Williams and co. are on hand to clear.
BOOKING! Federico Fernandez chops down Dele Alli as the young midfielder looks to lay the ball off and the centre-back is booked. Good position for Spurs, this.
GOAL! SWANSEA CITY 1-1 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN)
We know that Christian Eriksen can hit a free kick, and he's punished the hosts here! It's a strange one at first sight, as it's not right in the corner by any means and Fabianski is rooted to the spot, and on a second look it appears that the Pole was simply wrongfooted, expecting the Dane to go over the wall into the top corner. The goalkeeper will be disappointed with that, you'd have thought.
CHANCE! Eriksen picks the ball up in midfield after Swansea lose possession and drives forward, firing a low shot wide of the post from outside the box. The home side need to regain a foothold here.
GOAL! SWANSEA CITY 2-1 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (HARRY KANE OG)
Oh my word! When I said that I thought Harry Kane would score today I wasn't envisaging this! Jonjo Shelvey whips a corner into the near post and with Ashley Williams sniffing around for a chance, Kane swings a boot at it and can only slice the ball into his own net. Williams was waiting but the England striker wasn't under a huge amount of pressure. A mad few minutes.
CHANCE! This match is suddenly wide, wide open and Kane gets an immediate chance to make amends down the other end, but his firm drive is saved by Fabianski. Now it's Tottenham's turn to respond with just over 10 minutes to play until half time.
CHANCE! A foul by Ashley Williams hands Spurs another free kick a little further out that the one from which they scored, but this time Fabianski is equal to Eriksen's effort.
Things have quietened down in the last few minutes but Spurs win their third corner of the game after Williams cleats from under his own crossbar. The set piece somehow goes all the way through a crowd of players in the box and as Swansea regain possession, Alli brings down Ayew. The game has lost some of its tempo after a frantic 15 minutes.
CHANCE! It's Eriksen again for Spurs as he is given far too much time to pick out a shot on the edge of the box and Ashley Williams, diving full length across the line of the ball, seems to get a slight touch with his head to divert it wide.
If Montero was Swansea's key man in the opening quarter of the game (he's quitened down rather in recent minutes), then that man is Eriksen for the visitors. The 23-year-old is the driving force in midfield as Spurs approach the final third, looking to get on the ball and create something at every opportunity.
The possession belongs almost entirely to the visitors in these closing moments, but Williams is marshalling his defence well. Just heading into injury time, of which there will be two added minutes.
HALF TIME: SWANSEA CITY 2-1 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Well, that was fun. An evening opening saw both teams struggle to create chances, but some great work from Montero created the opener for Ayew. Eriksen's free kick deceived Fabianski for the equaliser, before Harry Kane got his name on the scoresheet again, albeit by slicing the ball into his own net.
It's been really open and thoroughly enjoyable to watch so far. Montero got the better of Kyle Walker for Swansea's first but the Spurs right-back has coped relatively well with the Ecuadorian's pace. For the visitors, Christian Eriksen has been the main man in the midfield, but Harry Kane has had just a single sniff of goal (at the right end) so far.
I've just seen that Eriksen free kick again and it does just seem to be that Fabianski is expecting the midfielder to send his effort over the wall into the near top corner. Instead, the Dane whipped it around the wall and with the goalkeeper's weight on his wrong foot, he was left stranded.
As for Kane's own goal, it looks worse every time you see it I'm afraid. He really is under no pressure at all at the near post and he just doesn't connect properly as he tried to swing through a clearance. A gift for the Swans.
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Despite the scoreline, it is the away side who have dominated the statistics in that first 45 minutes. They've had 59% possession to Swansea's 41% (although that may have something to do with the fact that the hosts have been happy to sit back for the majority of the time that they have been ahead), and have fired in 10 shots in comparison with Swansea's four - or five, if you count Kane's 'effort'.
If you're just joining us and you'd like a succinct view of the opening 45 minutes, here is Sports Mole's report of the first half.
Elsewhere, an amazing first half at the Emirates Stadium has seen two superb Alexis Sanchez goals and a Mesut Ozil strike give Arsenal a 3-0 lead at the break over Manchester United. You can find commentary of the second half of that match here if you're so inclined, but you get the feeling that there is much more to come in the second half here.
The players are back out and the restart is moments away at the Liberty.
KICKOFF! We're back in action here, with Swansea 45 minutes away from their first win in five weeks.
CHANCE! Harry Kane must be eager to make amends for his near-post calamity and he has an early sight of the goal in the second half, controlling a ball into the box but seeing his shot blocked by Fabianski. Positive start from the away side.
MISS! Bafetimbi Gomis should do better here. Montero turns Walker inside out and hangs a cross up for the striker, who can only head over the crossbar from close range. Big opportunity for Swansea to put some daylight between themselves and Spurs early in the second half.
Kane is penalised for a push on Fabianski after the Pole had fumbled when he came a long way to collect a deep cross. It's often suggested that goalkeepers are over-protected, but there was a clear nudge in this case.
A good spell of possession now from Swansea as the hosts settle back into their rhythm after a slightly nerving opening to the second period. It seemes to have settled both the team and the crowd down.
BOOKING! Former Swans left-back Ben Davies is caught wrong side of Ayew and brings him down as the Ghanaian looks to gallop forward down the right wing. The Welshman is deservedly yellow-carded.
MISS! Two chances in the space of a few seconds for the home side as first Ki's shot from outside the box is deflected behind for a corner, before an effort is fired in across the box and Gomis throws himself at the ball from close range but can't find the target. Gomis looked offside at first look but replays show that he certainly wasn't, and that was a decent half chance.
SUBSTITUTION: Mauricio Pochettino blinks first and makes the first change of the day, bringing Andros Townsend on for Erik Lamela as he looks to add a bit more width to his side.
MISS! Good play by Gomis as the striker picks the ball up in the midfield and surges forward, but his strike on goal is a tad wild and swerves away from the target.
Swansea have looked the better side in the last few minutes as the chances reflect, but they will have to be wary of the visitors on the break, particularly now that the pace of Townsend has been introduced and with Eriksen drifting through the middle.
Good play from Gylfi Sigurdsson sees him beat his man down the left on his way to the byline, but he can only win a corner. The set piece is cleared and after a minute or so of Swansea possession they cannot capitalise on some hesitant Spurs defending. The crowd are in fine voice though and you sense that a third home goal may leave Tottenham with too much to do.
Ashley Williams's positioning in his own box has been superb so far, and he is there again to cut out a low ball across goal as Spurs look to seize some kind of initiative.
SUBSTITUTION: Clinton Njie is the second man to come off the Spurs bench as he replaces Nacer Chadli, who has been largely quiet this afternoon.
GOAL! SWANSEA CITY 2-2 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN)
He's done it again! Swansea give away a cheap free kick as Shelvey brings down Alli in a similar position to Spurs' opener, and Eriksen whips one over the wall and into the far top corner. Fabianski has been far from convincing today and will be disappointed with the first goal, but there was no stopping this one. A quality effort from the Dane and we're level again!
Swansea were in control and being urged on by their own fans prior to that equaliser, but the atmosphere has changed entirely now and after Kane elects not to pull the trigger when he perhaps should have, Townsend's low cross-shot is held by Fabianski.
Things have turned a bit scrappy in the last few minutes since that superb Eriksen free kick, but this has been a really good game. This header from Andre Ayew to open the scoring seems a long time ago now.
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Ayew does well to spread a pass out wide to Montero and Walker makes it too easy for the winger to get a cross in, which the Spurs defence manage to scramble clear. A winner could come from anywhere, to be honest.
Neil Taylor slips and Spurs are in but they really don't make the most of it and after a cross is half-cleared, Kane again hesitates to shoot and they have to make do with a corner, which ultimately comes to nothing.
SUBSTITUTION: Gylfi Sigurdsson, who has been neat and tidy but quiet today, is applauded by both his current and former fans as he is replaced by Modou Barrow for Garry Monk's first change.
CHANCE! Dele Alli does well to get the ball out of his feet 25 yards from goal and fire a fierce effort in which stings Fabianski's palms as he parries it away. Good stuff from the England man and Spurs look the more likely at the moment, it has to be said.
Clinton Njie shows great promise, haring down the left flank and throwing a couple of stepovers before unleashing a shot, but it all goes wrong as the effort slices off his boot and out for a throw-in on the far side.
BOOKING! Eric Dier will miss Tottenham's home match against Liverpool in a fortnight's time after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season for a heavy challenge on Ayew. The midfielder is not happy.
CHANCE! Fabianski is nearly wrongfooted again here as Townsend lets fly from 20 yards or so, and the shot is a nasty effort, swerving and dipping, and the goalkeeper just manages to stick a foot out and divert it away.
SUBSTITUTION: Tottenham's final change is to replace Swansea goalscorer Harry Kane with Moussa Dembele as we enter the final nine minutes or so of a pulsating match at the Liberty.
CHANCE! Spurs have a great chance to take the lead for the first time today as they break quickly but Townsend rather wastes the opportunity with a tame effort straight at Fabianski.
BOOKING! Jan Vertonghen's name is the latest to go into the book but Spurs are unhappy as they think they should have a free kick of their own for an Ayew foul seconds earlier.
CHANCE! Jefferson Montero, who has been much quieter in this second half, has a shot blocked before the home fans are in uproar appealing for handball as Williams went up for a header, but the centre-back is instead ruled offside.
SUBSTITUTION: A second replacement enters the pitch for Swansea as Jack Cork comes on for Shelvey. Into the final five minutes of normal time now.
Patient build-up for Tottenham comes to nothing as they skirt around the edge of the penalty area but a free kick is given to Swansea for a foul in the penalty area. A point apiece would probably be a fair result on reflection, so prepare yourselves for a winner!
BOOKING! Good defending from the Swans to intercept Clinton Njie's ball to Eriksen, and as the hosts break Walker is booked for a foul on Montero.
MISS! Just as we enter into stoppage time, Christian Eriksen is not a million miles away from a hat-trick as he fires wide from the edge of the box. He was off balance as he hit it, and he probably should have shot earlier, but instead he dummied as he ran across the edge of the box trying to work himself some space.
There will be four added minutes - can anyone find a late, late winner?
CHANCE! What a save this is from Hugo Lloris. Ayew is fouled about 40 yards out and Ki swings in a free kick towards Federico Fernandez. The centre-back loops a header back across goal towards the far top corner and the Spurs captain leaps to turn the effort onto the crossbar with a marvellous fingertip save. Superb goalkeeping.
Frantic end to the game here as Ayew is inches away from being played through on goal before Spurs go down the other end and think that they should have a penalty.
FULL TIME: SWANSEA CITY 2-2 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Well then. A superb end-to-end match comes to a close and both sides have to settle for a point from a game which really could have gone either way. Swansea are denied a first win in over a month by a superb Christian Eriksen free kick, his second of the match.
Spurs' three-match winning run comes to an end but they remain unbeaten in the Premier League since losing 1-0 to Manchester United on the opening day of the season.
It was a game full of excitement and end-to-end football, but the result doesn't do too much for either side in terms of the Premier League table. Swansea climb one place to 11th while Spurs remain in 8th.
Who'd have thought it? A great game AND a correct prediction. Super Sunday indeed. You can read Sports Mole's on-the-whistle report of the pulsating draw here, and until next time that's it from us. Thanks for joining me!
Written by
Tom Nightingale
Tom Nightingale
