Swansea City and West Ham United played out a 1-1 draw in their Premier League clash this afternoon.
The Hammers took the lead at the end of the first half when Andy Carroll curled a strike into the top corner.
In the second half, an own goal from Mark Noble brought the Swans level and they managed to hold on and claim a share of the soils.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the events that unfolded at the Liberty Stadium.
Match Statistics:
SWANSEA:
Shots 19
On Target 3
Possession 61%
Corners 4
Fouls 9
WEST HAM:
Shots 11
On Target 5
Possession 39%
Corners 5
Fouls 7
Was the result fair?
A draw was probably the correct result. There was barely anything to separate the teams in the first half, with Carroll's fine strike the only standout moment. The match improved after the break and Swansea finally found the breakthrough when Noble put through his own net. Both teams had chances to win the game, with West Ham coming close on multiple occasions in the last 10 minutes, but the points were eventually shared.
Swansea's performance
It took the Swans a long time to get started and they looked out of sorts in the first half. Many of their passes went astray and they struggled to cause any problems in the final third. They improved after the break, but it was the introductions of Marvin Emnes and Modou Barrow just past the hour mark that helped turn the tide in their favour. The changes added fresh impetus to their attack and they soon levelled when Bafetimbi Gomis powered in a header that Noble diverted past his own keeper. They very nearly lost the game late on, but Garry Monk will be pleased with the character shown by his players.
West Ham's performance
Although the Hammers were not at their best this afternoon, they will feel that they had the chances to win the match. They saw much less of the ball, but were dominant in the first half and took the lead thanks to a moment of inspiration from Carroll. However, once they went ahead, they began to sat back and tried to soak up Swansea's pressure for the remainder of the game. It was not until they conceded that they started to look like an attacking threat again, and they had four great chances in the final minutes. Their best opportunity came three minutes from time when Lukasz Fabianski spilled a free kick from Morgan Amalfitano, but Carroll was unable to turn home the rebound as the game ended on level terms.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Andy Carroll: The 26-year-old scored twice on his last appearance against Swansea and he was a handful all afternoon. He opened the scoring with a wonderful strike that found the top corner and left the keeper with no chance. If he can stay injury free, then there is every chance of West Ham enjoying a successful finish to the season.
Biggest gaffe
Noble will get the blame from his manager after allowing Gomis's header to squirm into the net. He should have done a better job of clearing the ball, but he got everything wrong and ended up costing his team the three points this afternoon.
Referee's performance
Following some robust challenges in the early stages, it seemed as if Mike Dean would be in for a busy afternoon. In the end, it did not prove to be the case, as the two teams gave away relatively few fouls. He was only forced into handing out one booking, which was a yellow card for a clumsy late tackle by Diego Poyet.
What next?
Swansea: The Swans are back in league action next Saturday when they welcome Chelsea to the Liberty Stadium.
West Ham: An FA Cup replay against Everton awaits for the Hammers on Tuesday, before they take on Hull City at Upton Park next Sunday.
Alex Meyers
