Ipswich Town vs Swansea City. Sky Bet Championship.
Portman RoadAttendance17,247.
Wayne Routledge scores winner as Swansea win away from home for first time in seven attempts
Monday 22 April 2019 19:55, UK
Swansea ended their dismal away run with a 1-0 victory against already-relegated Ipswich at Portman Road.
The Swans had lost seven consecutive games on their travels prior to playing the Tractor Boys but Wayne Routledge's 57th-minute goal secured the points for the visitors.
The win keeps Swansea's outside hopes of reaching the Sky Bet Championship play-offs alive with five points separating the Welsh side from sixth place.
For Ipswich, who will ply their trade in League One next year after relegation was confirmed nine days ago, it was the 24th defeat of a miserable campaign.
The visitors should have gone ahead as early as the fifth minute when a glaring error from Ipswich's Toto Nsiala let in Daniel James, but the Welsh striker could not find the target when clean through.
Ipswich's first effort came a minute later when Gwion Edwards curled his shot over from outside the box.
Swansea's George Byers was booked for diving in the 16th minute after he went to ground attempting to round Town goalkeeper Dean Gerken in the box.
Jay Fulton's strike from distance for Swansea was comfortably taken by Gerken as the visitors probed the Ipswich back-line.
The Swans came close again on the half-hour mark, Oliver McBurnie found Fulton in the box but the midfielder's curled effort was diverted over by Routledge's outstretched boot.
Ipswich's best chance of the half came in the 39th minute when Will Keane's close-range effort came back off the post following an Andre Dozzell corner and Trevor Chalobah fired the follow-up wide.
Kyle Naughton's shot was saved by Gerken after a Swansea break and Nsiala headed over for the Tractor Boys from Alan Judge's deep corner just before half-time.
The Swans started the second half brightly and Gerken produced a good stop to keep out James' curled effort from the left-hand side of the box in the 54th minute.
The visitors took the lead three minutes later when James' shot from distance was tipped onto the post by Gerken before Routledge pounced to slam the rebound home.
Ipswich made a double substitution in the 66th minute, throwing strikers Kayden Jackson and Collin Quaner on for Dozzell and Keane as they sought an equaliser.
McBurnie then glanced a near-post header over from James' cross in the 73rd minute as the Swans looked to extend their advantage.
Ipswich's best chance for an equaliser came four minutes later when Flynn Downes found Quaner on the left, but Swans goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt was equal to the German striker's side-footed effort.
Judge's strike for Ipswich from distance did not trouble Nordfeldt and Swansea were comfortably able to end their barren away run, much to the delight of their travelling supporters.
Paul Lambert: "Today was a lot better, there wasn't too much in the game and we had one or two chances to maybe score. It's been the same all season really, we had some good moments and just been punished at the wrong end of the pitch.
"It's emotional because the support behind the football club is phenomenal, it's second to none. That's why I made the lads stand in front of the North Stand. They've watched us all season so it was our turn to watch them. That was important that we acknowledged everyone in the stadium. The atmosphere is incredible, it's overwhelming."
Graham Potter: "I've been in football long enough to know that when it's only 1-0, you can have a little action that goes against you and all of a sudden there's an opportunity and a chance. I thought we were the better team and I thought we did control a lot of the game and had the better chances but we still needed our goalkeeper to make a really good save at 1-0.
"The fact that we're going into the last week of the season and it's still mathematically possible, (it's) still a small chance but our task is to make sure we win our remaining games. We've got the next two games at home and we'll see if 71 points is enough, unless we get that there's no chance."
