Four victories in a row for Swansea after hitting back to beat Plymouth

Posted Sunday, October 08, 2023 by PA

Swansea made it four Championship wins on the spin following a 3-1 comeback success at sun-blessed Plymouth.

The icing on the cake came with the Swans’ superb 90th-minute breakaway goal, with substitute Liam Walsh playing the ball out to the right to Jamie Paterson on the run.

His precise pass inside enabled Josh Key, who timed his run to perfection, to finish past stranded goalkeeper Conor Hazard as Argyle were committed to attack in search of a leveller.

Sub Ollie Cooper had made it 2-1 with a brilliant 68th-minute long-range strike – a minute after coming on.

Cooper initially collected the ball on the right and exchanged passes with skipper Matt Grimes before unleashing a superb strike from fully 25 yards and into the corner which gave Hazard no chance.

Attacking midfielder Luke Cundle, who spent a spell on loan at Swansea last season, fired Argyle ahead in the 18th minute.

Ryan Hardie broke down the right, beating the offside trap, before cutting back a cross into the penalty area.

The ball was scrambled clear but only into the path of Cundle who side-footed home, first time, into the roof of the net from just inside the left-hand side of the box.

The Swans levelled after 56 minutes having started the second half well.

Paterson crossed to the left where Liam Cullen headed the ball back across the face of goal enabling striker Jerry Yates to bundle it home on the goal-line.

Carl Rushworth made a brilliant one-handed stop, low down, to deny Bali Mumba as he went one-on-one with the keeper on the hour after wriggling through the middle of the penalty area.

Argyle had started the game well with skipper Joe Edwards connecting with a far-post header to greet a sixth-minute corner from the left but Cullen made a brilliant diving headed clearance to deny him.

The Swans responded with Josh Tymon’s superb 12th-minute cross from the left into the box skipping past everyone before being cleared at the far post by Macaulay Gillesphey, with Cullen ready to pounce.

Argyle’s Northern Ireland keeper Hazard was forced to go full stretch to keep out Cullen’s measured strike from the right-hand side of the box after being teed up by Josh Key.

Rushworth and his defenders did well to keep out a string of Argyle shots as the home side pressed for a second in a goalmouth scramble as half-time approached.

Shortly after the break, Rushworth made a brilliant one-handed save from Hardie’s rising drive on the run, which seemed destined for the top corner, before two Swansea goals won it for the Welsh side.