Aston Villa have succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Swansea City in this afternoon's Premier League clash at Villa Park, courtesy of a Bafetimbi Gomis goal three minutes from time.
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The hosts were fastest out of the starting blocks and, five minutes in, Neil Taylor cut the ball back to a well-placed Gomis, but the Frenchman fired into the legs of Brad Guzan.
Gomis got within sight of goal again just before the quarter-hour mark, but he took too many touches and was dispossessed on the 18-yard box.
The former Lyon striker was in the thick of the action once again midway through the half after being played in by Ki Sung-yueng, as he struck a vicious shot towards goal that Guzan had to be alert to thwart.
As the first half edged towards its conclusion, the Villa stopper had to be bailed out when he flapped at Gylfi Sigurdsson's free kick delivery.
Wayne Routledge attempted to bundle the ball in, but Ciaran Clark was on hand to smash it off the line and ensure that the game would remain on a knife edge come the break.
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Villa began the second half brightly as Leandro Bacuna's cross ricocheted around the box before being hacked clear with Gabriel Agbonlahor lurking.
Swansea then countered and won themselves a free kick in a good area that Sigurdsson struck venomously from 30 yards, but Guzan tipped the effort over the bar.
The action picked up pace as the game went on, with Gomis heading wide at the back post and, at the other end, Agbonlahor saw an effort from six yards deflected out of harm's way after a smart Christian Benteke flick-on.
Scott Sinclair was next to threaten as he collected Fabian Delph's cutback into the Swans area before attempting to lash the ball towards goal, but the effort bobbled wide.
Just as it seemed like a goalless draw was on the cards at Villa Park, the visitors struck at the death as a cross from Jefferson Montero fell to Gomis, who struck clinically from 10 yards to nick his side all three points.
The result sees Swansea climb up to eighth in the Premier League table, while Villa remain dangling perilously close to the drop zone in 16th place
Giuseppe Labellarte
